Pair of Antique Sterling Silver Stately Swans by Gorham
View Similar Items
Pair of Antique Sterling Silver Stately Swans by Gorham
About the Item
- Creator:Gorham Manufacturing Company (Maker),William B. Durgin (Maker)
- Dimensions:Height: 6.38 in (16.21 cm)Width: 4.5 in (11.43 cm)Depth: 8 in (20.32 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Art Deco (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Early 20th Century
- Condition:
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:Seller: BQ9971stDibs: LU898016882741
Gorham Manufacturing Company
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.
- 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 Craftsman Hand Hammered Sterling Silver PorringerBy Gorham Manufacturing CompanyLocated in New York, NYCraftsman sterling silver porringer. Made by Gorham in Providence, ca 1910. Traditional form. Unusual open geometric handle. Allover spot hammering. ...Category
Early 20th Century American American Craftsman 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 Gorham Manufacturing Company, J.E. Caldwell & Co.Located 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 Gorham Manufacturing Company, Bailey, Banks & BiddleLocated 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
- Large American Sterling Silver Scallop Shell Bowl by GorhamBy Gorham Manufacturing CompanyLocated in New York, NYLarge sterling silver scallop shell bowl. Made by Gorham in Providence in 1941. Elongated form and dynamic flutes. Rests on 2 balls. Fully marked ...Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern 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
- Antique Victorian Pair of Sterling Silver Fish Servers by William Hutton & SonsBy Edward Hutton, William Hutton & SonsLocated in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon TyneAn exceptional, fine and impressive pair of antique Victorian English sterling silver fish servers - boxed; an addition to our silver flatware collection This exceptional pair of antique Victorian boxed silver fish servers, in sterling standard, consists of a serving knife and fork. The blade of the knife and the drop of the fork have an incurved shaped form. The anterior of the knife is embellished with a bright cut engraved band of leaf ornamentation paralleling the shaped side of the blade, accented with a suspended floral festoon and fabric swag designs. The drop of the fork is ornamented with further bright cut engraved floral festoon designs extending from a wrigglework decorated border to the lower portion of the four tines. The posterior surface of each shaped blade is plain and embellished with a paralleling scalloped border to the incurved edge. These antique fish servers...Category
Antique 19th Century English Victorian Sterling Silver
MaterialsSilver, Sterling Silver
- Pair of Sterling Silver Swan Decorative Bowls Signed Gorham SterlingBy Durgin-Gorham 1Located in New York, NYThis beautiful pair of Art Deco Sterling silver swan decorative bowls were executed by the legendary American silver maker, Gorham circa 1920. They feature elegantly streamlined demi...Category
Vintage 1920s American Art Deco Decorative Bowls
MaterialsSterling Silver
- Antique Art Deco Sterling Silver Canteen of Cutlery for Twelve PersonsLocated in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon TyneA magnificent, fine and impressive, comprehensive antique George V English sterling silver Jesmond pattern flatware service for twelve persons - boxed; an addition to our flatware collection The pieces of this magnificent and comprehensive antique George V English sterling silver cutlery service for twelve persons are crafted in the Jesmond pattern. The surface of each rounded handle is embellished with scroll and beaded ornamentation and paralleling borders accented with a scalloped shell design to the terminal. This antique cutlery canteen table contains 160 pieces: Basic Service: 12 Table knives 12 Table forks 4 Serving/Table spoons 12 Soup spoons 12 Dessert knives 12 Dessert forks 12 Dessert spoons 12 Fruit knives 12 Fruit forks 12 Fish knives 12 Fish forks 12 Cake/Pastry forks 12 Teaspoons Additional Pieces: Soup ladle Pair of sauce ladles Fish serving fork Fish serving knife Gravy spoon Sugar tongs Large carving knife Large carving fork Small carving knife Small carving fork Sharpening steel This impressive service benefits from an extensive range of serving pieces, incorporating an exceptional matching silver fish and dessert service. The fundamental pieces of the basic service were crafted by the Sheffield silversmith Bennett & Heron in 1932. The stainless steel blades of the original table and dessert knives bear the mark 'Bennett & Heron, Cutlers & Silversmiths, Sheffield' accented with the 'Firth Stainless'. This impressive canteen of cutlery is fitted to the original, fine and impressive veneered rose wood lift up lid and one draw Art Deco canteen...Category
Vintage 1930s English Art Deco Sterling Silver
MaterialsSterling Silver
- Antique Sterling Silver Jester PepperBy Daniel & John WelbyLocated in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon TyneAn exceptional, fine and impressive antique George V English sterling silver pepper modelled in the form of a jester; an addition to our novelty silverware collection This exceptional and rare antique George V cast sterling silver pepperette...Category
Vintage 1910s English Sterling Silver
MaterialsSterling Silver