Minneapolis Institute of Art

Hot water kettle and stand from the coffee and tea service for Rockledge

Designer: George Washington Maher; Manufacturer: Gorham Manufacturing Company; Retailer: Spaulding & Company, Chicago, Illinois

Date

c. 1912

Medium

Silver and ivory

Department

Arts of the Americas

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

The coffee and tea service that Maher designed for Rockledge illustrates his adherence to the progressive idea of a unified interior. Emblazoned on each piece, along with the King monogram, is the tiger lily, one of Maher's dominant motifs for the house. Every piece has the trapezoidal dentils ( guttae ) that Maher used as architectural detailing, notably on the home's exterior balustrade. The handle of the hot-water kettle echoes the prominent flattened arch of Rockledge's exterior, linking the building's furnishings with its façade. Maher had the service manufactured to the highest standards. It was custom-made by the Gorham Manufacturing Company as part of Gorham's exclusive Martelé line, which combined the popular styles of the time with traditional silversmithing techniques. The visibly hand-hammered surface is characteristic of Arts and Crafts metalwork. The retailer, Spaulding and Company of Chicago, charged $1, 300 for what is now one of the only known examples of Prairie School silver. United States, Americas

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