Hot-water urn, 1791
Paul Revere, Jr. (American, 1734–1818), Maker
Made in Boston
Silver, ivory; Overall: 22 1/4 x 10 5/8 x 10 3/8 in., 3437.2 grams (56.5 x 27 x 26.4 cm, 110.509 troy ounces), Body: 17 15/16 in., 2750.9 grams (45.6 cm, 88.444 troy ounces), Cover: 7 x 6 in., 350.7 grams (17.8 x 15.2 cm, 11.275 troy ounces), Insert: 9 13/16 in., 335.6 grams (24.9 cm, 10.79 troy ounces)
Purchase, The Annenberg Foundation Gift, Annette de la Renta, Mr. and Mrs. Robert G. Goelet, Drue Heinz, and Henry R. Kravis Foundation Inc. Gifts, Friends of the American Wing Fund, Margaret Stearns Bequest, Mr. and Mrs. Anthony L. Geller and Herbert and Jeanine Coyne Foundation Gifts, Max H. Gluck Foundation Inc. Gift, in honor of Virginia and Leonard Marx, and Rogers, Louis V. Bell and Dodge Funds; and Gift of Elizabeth K. Rodiger, 1990 (1990.226 a-d)
Hot-water urns joined the tea and coffee service in the years following the American Revolution. This monumental example, recorded by Paul Revere in his ledger on April 20, 1791, was made for Hannah Rowe (1725–1805) of Boston, whose initials are engraved on its front. With its attenuated body, high looped handles, and bright-cut engraving, this urn epitomizes the elegance and restraint characteristic of Neoclassical styling. Popular throughout Europe in the latter eighteenth century, Neoclassicism easily took hold in the young American republic, where allusions to ancient Rome held special appeal.
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Related Index Terms
Art Movement/Style
Artist
Geography/Place
Material and Technique
- • Metalwork, Silver
- • Metalwork, Silver, North America
- • Vessel, Tall (Vase, Pitcher, Bottle)
- • Vessel, Tall, North America
