Large Bronze Low Relief Plaque by Nathan Dumont Potter, 1918
View Similar Items
Large Bronze Low Relief Plaque by Nathan Dumont Potter, 1918
About the Item
- Creator:Nathan Dumont Potter (Sculptor),Gorham Manufacturing Company (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 1 in (2.54 cm)Diameter: 25 in (63.5 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:1910-1919
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1918
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Some wear to the gilt.
- Seller Location:San Mateo, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU95363927603
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.
- Plaster Maquette Abstract Sculpture by Elinore Gallas BloomfieldLocated in San Mateo, CAPlaster maquette by Elinore Gallas Bloomfield (1927-2023). This is a study for what would have been a much larger sculpture in fiberglass and resin over a foam core. There are a couple of visible cracks to the plaster. Elinore Bloomfield was active in the San Francisco Bay Area. She had a BA Decorative Arts, UC Berkeley. She studied sculpture with Jacques Schneir, Vincent Rascon, Ray Lorenzato...Category
Late 20th Century American Modern Abstract Sculptures
MaterialsPlaster, Paint
- Modernist Abstract Wood and Metal Tabletop SculptureLocated in San Mateo, CACarved wood sculpture with a Brutalist metal base. This is one of a group of sculptures we acquired by an anonymous artist. This dates to the 1950s-1960s. The sculpture is not signed.Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
MaterialsMetal
- Walnut and Acrylic Mid Century Low Coffee TableLocated in San Mateo, CAWalnut and acrylic slat coffee table. This table has the feeling of a Jens Risom design but we have not been able to document that. The table has three boards across the top with a s...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsAcrylic, Walnut
- Large 19th Century Sterling Basket by Howard Sterling CompanyBy Howard Sterling Co.Located in San Mateo, CALarge open work sterling bowl or basket by Providence, R. I. maker Howard Sterling Company. The Howard Sterling co. was in existence from 1878 to 1902. The company was known for exce...Category
Antique Late 19th Century American High Victorian Sterling Silver
MaterialsSterling Silver
- Bronze Art Deco Tennis Player BookendsLocated in San Mateo, CAPair of bronze bookends with women tennis players. These are not signed. They are tall making them good for larger books. There is a little oxidation in ...Category
Mid-20th Century American Art Deco Bookends
MaterialsBronze
$345 / set - Bronze and Iron Desk Signal Cannon ModelLocated in San Mateo, CAThis desk top signal cannon has a bronze barrel and iron carriage. This model will actually fire. The barrel has a nice patina. The base has been repaint...Category
Early 20th Century American Models and Miniatures
MaterialsIron, Bronze
- Pair Bronze Relief Wall Plaques Framed Woman with CherubBy Boston Metallic Compression Casting Co.Located in Lambertville, NJPair bronze relief wall plaques framed woman with cherub. By Boston Metallic Compression Casting Co. Who ever re-framed in the 1994 included a rubbin...Category
Early 20th Century American Wall-mounted Sculptures
MaterialsBronze
- 19th Century Diana the Huntress Bronze Bas Relief Wall PlaqueLocated in Buenos Aires, Olivos19th century diana the huntress bronze bas relief wall plaque. Diana with raised bow and hunting dog near her side.Category
Antique Late 19th Century French Art Nouveau Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBronze
$1,120 Sale Price20% Off - Two Large Sculpted Marble Relief Plaques of St John and St JamesLocated in London, GBThese exquisitely carved marble relief plaques, are notable for their large size and fine detailing, and were made after two famous plaques of the...Category
Antique 19th Century French Neoclassical Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsMarble
- Dali Bronze Bas-Relief FéconditéBy Salvador DalíLocated in Bridgewater, CTSalvador Dalí (Spanish, 1904-1989.) Fécondité, 1977. Bas relief in silvered bronze. Publishing Year : 1990-1992. Referenced in the catalogue raisonne "Dali Sculptures And ...Category
20th Century French Wall-mounted Sculptures
MaterialsBronze
- Stunning Wooden Zodiac Wall Plaque Relief Brutalist Midcentury, German, 1970sLocated in Nuernberg, DEBeautiful wooden wall plaque relief sign showing all zodiacs, made in the Brutalist style in Germany in the 1970s. This is a wonderful Zodiac sign. This can be used as a Wall decorat...Category
Vintage 1970s German Brutalist Animal Sculptures
MaterialsPlywood
- Wooden Zodiac Sagittarius Wall Plaque Relief Brutalist Midcentury, German, 1970sLocated in Nuernberg, DEBeautiful wooden wall plaque relief sign, made in the Brutalist style in Germany in the 1970s. This is a wonderful Zodiac sign. This can be used as a Wall decoration or as a decorati...Category
Vintage 1970s German Brutalist Animal Sculptures
MaterialsPlywood