Current and coming

Magazine Antiques, April, 1996 by Allison Eckardt Ledes

The influx of new tools brought from England by immigrating craftsmen had an impact that can most readily be observed in spoons. Swages brought from London (probably by Matthew Mabely in 1683), for example, were used to produce a new shape of spoon with an oval bowl and a wider handle that broadened at the tip. With decoration at the junction of the handle and the bowl, these spoons have a more fluid design than those made earlier.

The pinnacle of Boston silver making was achieved between 1690 and 1710. Ties to England were strengthened by the arrival of a new royal governor in 1692, by which time the number of goldsmiths working in the city had increased to thirty-one. The decoration on silver then in vogue was fluting and chased gadrooning. Even though chasing was more popular than engraving, there were a number of highly skilled silver engravers working in Boston at the time. Spoon design changed, reflecting the quantity of steel swages brought from London by immigrant craftsmen and also probably imported directly by Boston artisans.

Between 1710 and 1722 the number of goldsmiths working in Boston remained constant, while the number of jewelers increased. John Coney (1655/6-1722) dominated the silver business, which was still largely fueled by commissions from local churches. Domestic wares took on a more formal, geometric appearance, and objects such as cast candlesticks found currency.

Between Coney's death in 1722 and 1745, a new generation of craftsmen doubled the number of goldsmiths in Boston to sixty-four, and the number of jewelers grew to eleven. Of these only a handful were trained abroad. The leading silver craftsmen were John Burt (1692/3-1745/6) and Jacob Hurd (1702/3-1758). During this period makers shifted from the British system of marking silver with their initials to marking it with their surname.

Between 1745 and 1775 there were seventy-five recorded goldsmiths in the city, while the number of jewelers grew substantially, to twenty-five. The latter purchased even greater quantities of silver to retail than they had previously. The fashionable rococo style featured elaborately chased narrative scenes, and asymmetrical decoration using C-scrolls and floral motifs, creating a demand for engravers. Some goldsmiths raised hollow ware that was supplied to others to decorate and retail.

On the eve of the Revolution Boston was the center for goldsmithing in New England and in the vanguard of the latest styles from England and the Continent. While jewelry was made in significant quantities, very little survives and what does is rarely marked. Many of America's most highly regarded craftsmen were trained in Boston, where makers actively traded goods and services with one another. Thanks to this exhibition and Kane's landmark publication, these early pieces can now be better understood.