Gorham Sterling Silver Pie Server - Rare Bird's Nest Pattern - 1870
View Similar Items
Gorham Sterling Silver Pie Server - Rare Bird's Nest Pattern - 1870
About the Item
- Creator:Gorham Manufacturing Company (Maker)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1870
- Condition:
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU8558799742
Gorham Manufacturing Company
For nearly 160 years, the Gorham Manufacturing Company turned out a wide range of beautiful silver flatware, tea sets, serving bowls and other silver pieces, indelibly influencing the field of decorative arts in ways that still resonate.
When silversmiths Jabez Gorham and Henry Webster started making coin silver teaspoons and jewelry out of a small workshop in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1831, the pair likely had no idea that their modest operation would one day become the largest silver manufacturer in the world.
While some name changes and personnel shifts preceded the foundry officially being established as Gorham Manufacturing Company decades later, growth of the business between its early days and the mid–19th century can largely be attributed to the work of Jabez’s son John, who assumed control of Gorham in the 1840s.
John Gorham introduced steam power at the manufactory. He entered into a partnership with Michael Gibney, the first American silversmith to register a design patent for a flatware pattern. Gorham wanted to expand the business, seeking to produce forks and spoons adorned with decorative flourishes adapted from British patterns. The company hammered out the silver flatware, which it sent to Gibney in New York to apply decorative patterns before returning to Gorham. Consequently, Gorham found Gibney’s work unsatisfactory, and he purchased his own rolling press to do the work himself.
The partnership between John and Michael soured but the company thrived. Sales grew to more than $20,000 per year, and the staff of silversmiths expanded. To keep up with demand, Gorham had to retire its horse-powered rolling press and import a steam-powered drop press from England — the first used in the United States. Designs created at Gorham drew on natural-world motifs as well as artistic traditions from all over the world — alongside its tableware, the company would soon be producing cups and pitchers adorned with polar bears and forest creatures, while tea services and other serving pieces were crafted in a range of styles that included Art Nouveau, Egyptian Revival and Rococo.
Around 1860, Gorham delved into bronze casting. When it opened a division dedicated to bronze work, Gorham collaborated with sculptors such as Daniel Chester French, Anna Hyatt Huntington and Alexander P. Proctor.
By the 1920s, Gorham had employed thousands of workers and had partnered with Danish modernist silversmith Erik Magnussen. However, the Great Depression ground production to a halt. The company was sold to Textron, Inc. in the late 1960s and it changed hands several times before it sold to Department 56 in 2005.
Today, the work of Gorham Manufacturing Company continues to be exhibited in galleries and museums. The RISD Museum in Providence houses a collection of nearly 5,000 works.
On 1stDibs, find a range of antique Gorham Manufacturing Company serveware and decorative objects.
- Sterling Pie / Cake ServerBy Gorham Manufacturing CompanyLocated in Brooklyn, NYOffering a sterling silver pie server by Gorham Silversmiths. It has a gadroon design along both sides of the handle. It’s not only beautiful but very practical. Makes a great hostes...Category
Vintage 1940s American Sterling Silver
MaterialsSterling Silver
- Sterling Silver Pie ServerBy Wallace SilversmithsLocated in Brooklyn, NYA sterling silver pie server that makes a great wedding or hostess gift. Can also be used for serving quiche or fish. You can never have too...Category
Vintage 1950s American Sterling Silver
MaterialsSterling Silver
- Silver Bronze Pie ServerLocated in Saint-Ouen, FRSilver bronze pie server Silver plated bronze pie server 35/42 microns Length: 260 mm, weight: 243 gr This Pie Server is the handmade work of Fren...Category
2010s French Serving Pieces
MaterialsBronze
$1,331 - Tiffany Sterling Silver Baby Cup in Rare Bird’s Nest PatternBy Tiffany & Co.Located in New York, NYRare Bird's Nest sterling silver baby cup. Made by Tiffany & Co. in New York, ca 1870. Ovoid bowl on stepped foot. Scroll handle with squiggle tail. Bowl has shaped pointille ornamen...Category
Antique Late 19th Century American Baroque Sterling Silver
MaterialsSterling Silver
- Gorham Sterling Silver American Figural Tea UrnBy Gorham Manufacturing CompanyLocated in Hamilton, Ontario19th century Gorham sterling silver figural tea urn. It's Atlas (or Hercules) holding the world. 64 Ounces made in America Hallmark 1873. Lid is 5 inches round. 10 inches to the spig...Category
Antique 19th Century American Sterling Silver
MaterialsSterling Silver
- Sterling Lorraine ServerBy Gorham Manufacturing CompanyLocated in Brooklyn, NYBeing offered is a sterling silver server in the Lorraine pattern by Gorham Silversmiths. The handle is scalloped and has flowers around the to...Category
Antique Early 1900s American Sterling Silver
MaterialsSterling Silver