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Ice bucket, 1838–39
Possibly mark of John Watson (British, active in Sheffield 1795–after 1840)
Silver; H. 11 1/4 in. (27.3 cm)
Gift of Margaret M. Carney, in memory of Farrell Joseph Carney, 1979 (1979.497)

The sinuous, elegant profile of this early Victorian ice bucket demonstrates the return of the feminine Gothic "line" in the taste of the 1830s, which influenced silver design, architecture, furniture, and even women's dress and hairstyles. Although decorative elements in relief are added from the vocabulary of the Rococo—shells, flowers, scrolls, etc.—their use is symmetrical. The arms engraved on the side of the body are for a bachelor probably of the Lyster family of County Roscommon, Ireland.


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    Ice bucket, 1838–39
    Possibly mark of John Watson (British, active in Sheffield 1795–after 1840)
    Silver; H. 11 1/4 in. (27.3 cm)
    Gift of Margaret M. Carney, in memory of Farrell Joseph Carney, 1979 (1979.497)