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Lot Essay
The Martelé records indicate this special order two-piece service, LRA and LRB, was produced in 1918. Silversmith James Leckenby made the bowl and ladle in a combined time of 161¼ hours. The time taken to chase the extraordinary fuchsia and pear decoration was even greater; the unidentified chaser required 209½ hours. The cost of the bowl was $675; the cost of the ladle was $75.
The service was made for railroad magnate Leonor Fresnel Loree who began his career as an engineer and by 1901 was America's highest paid railroad executive. By 1922 he was known as "the greatest railroad man in the world," serving as a director to over 50 railroad companies, including the B & O, and Delaware & Hudson.
As a resident of New Jersey, Loree served as a trustee of Rutgers and was a founder of the New Jersey College for Women. His sprawling estate in West Orange, "Bowood," overlooked the Passaic Valley. The Newark Museum received the silver presentation Antilles Bowl from members of the Loree family in 1984. The bowl was presented to L. F. Loree in 1915, by 252 Americans who were trapped in Europe upon the outbreak of World War I. Loree chartered the steamship Antilles and ensured their safe return to American shores. (See: L. J. Pristo, Martelé: Gorham's Nouveau Art Silver, 2002, p. 379; The Star Ledger, December 21, 1984).
Photo caption: L. F. Loree (1858-1940)
The service was made for railroad magnate Leonor Fresnel Loree who began his career as an engineer and by 1901 was America's highest paid railroad executive. By 1922 he was known as "the greatest railroad man in the world," serving as a director to over 50 railroad companies, including the B & O, and Delaware & Hudson.
As a resident of New Jersey, Loree served as a trustee of Rutgers and was a founder of the New Jersey College for Women. His sprawling estate in West Orange, "Bowood," overlooked the Passaic Valley. The Newark Museum received the silver presentation Antilles Bowl from members of the Loree family in 1984. The bowl was presented to L. F. Loree in 1915, by 252 Americans who were trapped in Europe upon the outbreak of World War I. Loree chartered the steamship Antilles and ensured their safe return to American shores. (See: L. J. Pristo, Martelé: Gorham's Nouveau Art Silver, 2002, p. 379; The Star Ledger, December 21, 1984).
Photo caption: L. F. Loree (1858-1940)