Marie Antoinette Platter
About the Item
- Creator:Gorham Manufacturing Company (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 1 in (2.54 cm)Diameter: 17 in (43.18 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:1910-1919
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1910
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Brooklyn, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU267639463153
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: Brooklyn, NY
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
- Sterling Fish PlatterLocated in Brooklyn, NYWe are proud to offer you this sterling silver Art Deco fish platter made in Austria in the 1920’s. Fish platters are very rare to find but we were lucky...Category
Vintage 1920s Austrian Sterling Silver
MaterialsSterling Silver
- Sterling “John Coburn” PlatterLocated in Brooklyn, NYWe are offering this sterling silver platter made by the Worden-Munnis Company of Boston, Massachusetts. It is a reproduction of a John Coburn piece from 1...Category
Vintage 1940s American Sterling Silver
MaterialsSterling Silver
- Sterling Silver & Porcelain PlatterBy WedgewoodLocated in Brooklyn, NYThis sterling silver and porcelain platter is made by the world famous Wedgwood Company of England. Hand painted with vibrant colors; turquoise, mustard, plum, green, and different s...Category
Vintage 1940s American Sterling Silver
MaterialsSterling Silver
- Sterling Silver Tray, Gorham, 1927By Gorham Manufacturing CompanyLocated in Brooklyn, NYWe are happy to offer you this sterling silver tray made by Gorham Silversmiths, hallmarked 1927. Designed in the iconic “Plymouth” pattern, this tray has been restored to it’s origi...Category
Vintage 1920s American Sterling Silver
MaterialsSterling Silver
- Sterling Dish, 1899By Gorham Manufacturing CompanyLocated in Brooklyn, NYWe are so proud to offer this antique sterling silver Gorham dish. Signed 1899, it is 120 years old. A flat oblong dish that flares up o...Category
Antique 1890s American Sterling Silver
MaterialsSterling Silver
- Large CompoteBy Gorham Manufacturing CompanyLocated in Brooklyn, NYOne hundred and forty-four years ago while Ulysses S. Grant was president of the USA, this lovely piece of silver was being manufactured by the Gorham Corporation, in Providence Rhod...Category
Antique 1870s American Sterling Silver
MaterialsSterling Silver
- Antique Gorham Edwardian Regency Sterling Silver Platter TrayBy Gorham Manufacturing Company, Shreve, Crump & LowLocated in New York, NYEdwardian Regency sterling silver platter tray. Made by Gorham in Providence in 1915. Oval well with paneled curvilinear shoulder and reeded r...Category
Vintage 1910s American Edwardian Sterling Silver
MaterialsSterling Silver
- Martele by Gorham .9584 Sterling Silver Large Meat Tray Platter HollowwareBy Gorham Manufacturing CompanyLocated in Big Bend, WIMartele by Gorham Art Nouveau Martele by Gorham .9584 sterling silver meat tray/platter with beautiful floral motif, #P/FY. It was made in August of...Category
Early 20th Century Art Nouveau Sterling Silver
MaterialsSterling Silver
- Medium Oval PlatterBy BrandimarteLocated in Milan, ITThe Ceselli line features silver items that are intricately chiseled with ornate decorative elements. This medium-sized oval serving platter features an elegant, thick, embellished b...Category
2010s Italian Platters and Serveware
MaterialsSilver
- Antique Italian Silver Meat Fish PlatterLocated in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon TyneAn exceptional, fine and impressive, antique Italian silver meat / fish platter; an addition to our presentation silverware collection. This magnificent antique Italian silver platter has an oval form. The surface of this antique platter is plain and unembellished, accented with a plain applied molded border to the rim. Condition This antique Italian silver platter is an exceptional gauge of silver, exceptional quality and in exceptional condition. There are some surface knife scratches to the well of the platter, in keeping with the age and purpose. The hallmarks struck to the underside of the platter's rim are all very clear. Dimensions Length 46.2cm/18.2" Width 30.4cm/12" Length inside 36.5cm/14.4" Width inside 20.7cm/8.1" Height 3.3cm/1.3". Weight 46.7 troy ounces/1452g. Maker: Untraced Maker's Marks. Date: circa 1820. Origin: Turin, Italy. Video: A video of this fine piece is available upon request. Reflections in photographs may detract from the true representation of this piece of antique Italian silverware.Category
Antique 1820s Italian Platters and Serveware
MaterialsSilver, Sterling Silver
- Antique 18th Century Spanish Silver Oval PlatterLocated in Torino, ITAntique 18th century Spanish Colonial silver oval platter decorated in repoussé and chased floral design, stamped at the back with the maker mark: Francisco Sanchez Taramas, Granada ...Category
Antique 18th Century and Earlier Spanish Baroque Sterling Silver
MaterialsSilver, Sterling Silver
- International Modern Georgian Sterling Silver Serving Platter TrayBy International SilverLocated in New York, NYModern Georgian sterling silver tray. Made by International Silver Co. in Connecticut, ca 1950. Scroll shaped well with flat rim. Fully m...Category
Mid-20th Century American Georgian Sterling Silver
MaterialsSterling Silver