A TINNED SHEET METAL WRIGGLEWORK COFFEEPOT

Details

A TINNED SHEET METAL WRIGGLEWORK COFFEEPOT
STAMPED, "W. SHADE," WILLOUGHBY SHADE, B. 1820, WORKING 1842-1866, MARLBOROUGH AND TOWAMENSIN TOWNSHIPS, MONTGOMERY COUNTY, BUCKS COUNTY AND PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, CIRCA 1865

The circular domed hinged lid centering a brass button finial above a molded neck over an inverted double-conical body, the whole with punch-decorated tulips, urns, peacocks, roses, with applied C-scroll handle and crooked spout, all on a conforming rolled flaring foot punch-decorated elephants and leaves, the handle stamped "W. Shade"--11½in. high, 6in. diameter base

Provenance

Walter G. Himmelreich, November 12, 1976

Literature

Lasansky, To Cut, Piece and Solder, p. 36-7.

Exhibited

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, The Philadelphia Museum of Art, "The Pennsylvania Germans: A Celebration of their Arts, 1683 - 1850," October 17, 1982 - January 9 , 1983
Houston, Texas, The Museum of Fine Arts, "The Pennsylvania Germans: A Celebration of their Arts, 1683 - 1850," March 5 - May 15, 1983
San Francisco, California, The Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco: M.H. de Young Memorial Museum, "The Pennsylvania Germans: A Celebration of their arts, 1683 - 1850," July 2 - September 3, 1983
Chicago, Illinois, The Art Institute of Chicago, "The Pennsylvania Germans: A Celebration of their Arts, 1683 - 1850," December 10, 1983 - January 29, 1984

Lot Essay

While the whimsical use of variety of decorative animals on Pennsylvania German wares is typical, the appearance of a chain of elephants on this tinned sheet metal coffeepot is unusual. Other examples of Shade's work, such as the wrigglework coffeepot for Catharenah Moyer at Winterthur (65.2152), as well as that of his peers, Martin Uebele and John Ketterer, whose works appear in this collection as well, also employ more typical Pennsylvania German foliate, animal and geometric designs. The fully perforated nature of these items, however, suggests they were purely decorative and were never intended for use.