Antique Gorham Craftsman Hand Hammered Sterling Silver Porringer
About the Item
- Creator:Gorham Manufacturing Company (Maker)
- Dimensions:Height: 2 in (5.08 cm)Width: 6.63 in (16.85 cm)Depth: 4.75 in (12.07 cm)
- Style:American Craftsman (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:Sterling Silver,Hammered
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Early 20th Century
- Condition:Nice shimmer.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: New York, NY
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 7 days of delivery.
- Antique American Craftsman Hand Hammered Sterling Silver PorringerBy A. Stowell & Co.Located in New York, NYTurn-of-the-Century American Craftsman sterling silver porringer. Bellied bowl on inset foot ring. Finely faceted hand hammering with nice "disco ball" shimmer. Plain open tree handl...Category
Antique Late 19th Century American American Craftsman Sterling Silver
MaterialsSterling Silver
- Tiffany Craftsman Hand-Hammered Sterling Silver PorringerBy Tiffany & Co.Located in New York, NYCraftsman sterling silver porringer. Made by Tiffany & Co. in New York, circa 1878. Traditional form with shaped open handle. Dense all-over fish-scale hammering. Very much a stateme...Category
Antique Late 19th Century American American Craftsman Sterling Silver
MaterialsSterling Silver
- Antique Gorham Victorian Aesthetic Sterling Silver Christening MugBy Gorham Manufacturing CompanyLocated in New York, NYVictorian Aesthetic sterling silver christening mug. Made by Gorham in Providence in 1894. Straight sides with gently curved base. Curvilinear frame with zigzag and wavy borders betw...Category
Antique 1890s American Aesthetic Movement Sterling Silver
MaterialsSterling Silver
- Antique Gorham Zodiac Sterling Silver 3-Piece Baby SetBy Gorham Manufacturing CompanyLocated in New York, NYZodiac sterling silver 3-piece baby set. Made by Gorham in Providence in 1915. This set comprises mug, bowl, and plate. Cup: Straight sides, short inset foot,...Category
Vintage 1910s American Art Nouveau Sterling Silver
MaterialsSterling Silver
- Antique Gorham Sterling Silver Baby Cereal Bowl on PlateBy J.E. Caldwell & Co., Gorham Manufacturing CompanyLocated in New York, NYEdwardian sterling silver baby bowl on plate. Made by Gorham in Providence in 1911. Bowl has curved and tapering sides. Plate has well and wide should...Category
Vintage 1910s American Edwardian Sterling Silver
MaterialsSterling Silver
- Antique Gorham Sterling Silver 3-Piece Mother Goose Baby SetBy Bailey, Banks & Biddle, Gorham Manufacturing CompanyLocated in New York, NYTurn-of-the-century Edwardian sterling silver baby set. Made by Gorham in Providence. This set comprises cup, bowl, and plate. Cup has scroll bracket handle, raised and stepped foot, and gilt interior. Bowl has same foot. Plate has deep well. Acid-etched scenes depicting scenes from Mother Goose, including Old King Cole being presented with his Bowl, Little Bo Peep...Category
Early 20th Century American Edwardian Sterling Silver
MaterialsSterling Silver
- Neoclassical Sterling Silver Child's Cup/Mug by GorhamBy Gorham Manufacturing CompanyLocated in New York, NYNeoclassical, sterling silver child's mug/cup, Gorham Mfg. Co, Providence, Rhode Island, circa 1860. Handle is decorated with a neoclassical woman's head. Interior is lightly gilded....Category
Antique 1860s American Neoclassical Sterling Silver
MaterialsSterling Silver
- Neoclassical Style, Victorian Period Sterling Silver Tazza by GorhamBy Gorham Manufacturing CompanyLocated in New York, NYNeoclassical style, Victorian period, sterling silver tazza, Gorham Manufacturing Co., Providence, Rhode Island, year hallmarked for 1901. Decorated with grapes and mythological face...Category
Antique Early 1900s American Neoclassical Sterling Silver
MaterialsSterling Silver
- Searle & Co Walter Henry Searle Antique Edwardian Sterling Silver PorringerBy Searle & Co.Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon TyneAn exceptional, fine and impressive antique Edwardian English sterling silver porringer; an addition to our silver presentation collection This exceptional antique Edwardian sterl...Category
Antique Early 1900s English Edwardian Sterling Silver
MaterialsSterling Silver
- Antique Charles II 17th Century Sterling Silver Porringer Cup, 1679Located in London, GBAn impressive Antique Charles II sterling Silver Porringer of substantial size decorated with a chased stylised leaf pattern around the base and a chased band around the middle of th...Category
Antique 17th Century English Charles II Sterling Silver
MaterialsSterling Silver
- Set of 4 Georg Jensen Sterling Silver Hand Hammered Napkin RingsBy Georg JensenLocated in Hamilton, OntarioThis set of four sterling silver napkin rings was made by the highly renowned Georg Jensen in approximately 1920 in an Art Deco style. This set of napkin rings appears as hand hammer...Category
Early 20th Century Danish Art Deco Sterling Silver
MaterialsSterling Silver
- Antique Sterling Silver PorringerLocated in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon TyneAn exceptional, fine and impressive antique Charles II English sterling silver porringer; part of our collectable silverware collection. This exceptional antique Charles II sterling silver porringer has a circular rounded form onto a collet base. The surface of the porringer is embellished with an impressive chased hunting hound to one side and a stag to the other, all amidst large foliate designs and incorporating pinstruck swirl designs. This English silver porringer is fitted with two impressive cast, leaf decorated S-scroll handles with elevated figural shaped thumbpieces. Note: After surviving the Great Fire of London the records at the London Assay office were destroyed by fire in 1681; their catalogues and documentation began again in 1697. Due to this unfortunate event we are unable to associate a maker to this porringer. Condition This antique silver porringer...Category
Antique 1670s English Charles II Sterling Silver
MaterialsSterling Silver