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Donald Colflesh

b. 1932

In 1956, Gorham Manufacturing Company, the country’s leading maker and retailer of fashionable silver recruited Donald Colflesh to bring a contemporary dimension to its traditional products. Colflesh’s most popular and successful design for the firm was the circa 1970 series, in which he brilliantly captured America’s ambition to go to the moon. In this coffee service, the intersecting angles epitomize the era of space-age design, and the curving upright thrust of the handles and spouts conveys the aerodynamics of the jet age. Gorham reinforced the coffee service’s space-age associations in accompanying pamphlets, noting its feeling of vertical motion, the upward look to space. The company’s name for the line, circa 1970, also confidently alludes to the future and its possibilities. The sleek contours and elongated ebony finials and handles, however, were exceptional for mid-century hollowware, and recall similar embellishments on early 20th century Scandinavian silver.

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Creator: Donald Colflesh
Delta Bowl in Sterling and Ebony by Donald Colflesh for Gorham, circa 1970
Delta Bowl in Sterling and Ebony by Donald Colflesh for Gorham, circa 1970

Delta Bowl in Sterling and Ebony by Donald Colflesh for Gorham, circa 1970

By Donald Colflesh, Gorham

Located in San Diego, CA

Spectacular "circa 1970 Delta Bowl" in sterling and ebony by Donald Colflesh for Gorham, circa 1960s. This rare piece is gorgeous and in very good vint...

Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Donald Colflesh

Materials

Sterling Silver

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Donald Colflesh furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

Donald Colflesh furniture are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of silver and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Donald Colflesh furniture, although silver editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original furniture by Donald Colflesh were created in the mid-century modern style in united states during the mid-20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider furniture by Pat and Covey Stewart, La Gardo Tackett, and Rex Goode. Prices for Donald Colflesh furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $450 and can go as high as $6,000, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $3,850.