Covered ewer,

ca. 1835

During the early 1800s, ancient Greek and Roman art and architecture were viewed as appropriate models for artists in the United States, with its government partially modeled on Greek democracy and the Roman republic. Some of the most impressive examples of American silver in this classical revival style were produced in Philadelphia by the partnership of Thomas Fletcher and Sidney Gardiner. Their familiarity with classical sources resulted in part from a trip Fletcher made in 1815–16 to France and Great Britain, where he saw contemporary silver based on ancient Greek vessels as well as ancient objects that inspired them. The eagle’s head on the presentation ewer is a motif found on Roman metalwork, although on this piece it also served as an emblem of the new nation.

David L. Barquist, The H. Richard Dietrich Jr. Curator of American Decorative Arts, Philadelphia Museum of Art