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An ornately decorated writing desk with mirror and chair

Martelé Writing Table and Chair, 1903, Gorham Manufacturing Company (est. 1831), United States, ebony, mahogany, boxwood, redwood, thuya wood, ivory, mother-of-pearl, silver, mirrored glass, and gilded tooled leather, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Frederick B. Thurber, RISD Museum, Providence, RI

Handle of a silver teaspoon shaped like a large sailboat moving through rough waves

New Bedford, Whaling City, Souvenir Teaspoon (detail), 1891, Gorham Manufacturing Company (est. 1831), United States, silver, Bequest of Mrs. Hope Brown Russell, RISD Museum, Providence, RI

Golden spoon decorated with a colorful peacock, feathers fully extended

Bonbon Spoon (detail), circa 1893, Gorham Manufacturing Company (est. 1831), United States, silver with gilding and plique-à-jour enamel, Anonymous gift, RISD Museum, Providence, RI

Silver fruit stand with an ornate nude woman for a handle

Fruit Stand, 1872, Gorham Manufacturing Company (est. 1831), United States, silver, The Gorham Collection, Gift of Textron Inc., RISD Museum, Providence, RI

Silver, wavy textured tureen bowl with handles and a lid, decorated with fish

Tureen, 1884, Gorham Manufacturing Company (est. 1831), United States, silver, Gift of Mrs. Pierre Brunschwig, RISD Museum, Providence, RI

various silver serving utencils

Angelo Servingware, circa 1870, Gorham Manufacturing Company (est. 1831), United States, silver with gilding, The Gorham Collection, Gift of Textron Inc., RISD Museum, Providence, RI

A jagged, cubic style, coffee pot, tea pot, creamer pitcher, and serving tray made of various colored silver

Cubic Coffee Service, 1927, Gorham Manufacturing Company (est. 1831), United States, silver with gilding, ivory, and oxidized decoration, The Gorham Collection, Gift of Textron Inc., RISD Museum, Providence, RI

Ornately decorated silver, gold, and glass scales

Epergne, 1872, and Plateau 1876, Gorham Manufacturing Company (est. 1831), United States, silver with gilding and glass, The Gorham Collection, Gift of Textron Inc., RISD Museum, Providence, RI

Silver and gold coffee pots, tea pots, drink dispensers, all with curved handles and ornate etchings

Tea and Coffee Service, 1871, Gorham Manufacturing Company (est. 1831), United States, silver with gilding and ivory, Gift of Miss Mary Ann Lippitt. RISD Museum, Providence, RI

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Gorham Silver: Designing Brilliance, 1850–1970

March 13, 2020–July 5, 2020

Friends of Decorative Arts and Design

Press Release | Tickets | Free for members

This dazzling presentation of exceptional silver and mixed-metal wares casts new light on the legacy of Gorham and reflects the industry, artistry, innovation, and technology of the manufactory for 120 years. Adeptly coupling art and industry, Gorham boldly rose from a small firm, established in 1831 in Providence, Rhode Island, to become the largest silver company in the world, placing uniquely American design on the international stage. Creating everything from commissioned presentation pieces to show-stoppers for the dining room, Gorham responded to the era’s desire to celebrate, feast, socialize, honor, and simply enjoy the everyday in style. 

 

Enjoy Gorham Silver from Home

While this special exhibition currently cannot be viewed in person, we would like our visitors to have the chance to see the vibrant installation through a series of images. 

Click here to browse over 300 images of the exhibition

Continue exploring...

Additional Digital Resources

Exhibition checklist with images and labels produced by the RISD Museum

https://risdmuseum.org/sites/default/files/museumplus/320117.pdf

A podcast-like audio experience created by the RISD Museum

https://cincinnatiartmuseum.org/soundwalk

Recorded Lectures on Gorham Silver

https://risdmuseum.org/art-design/projects-publications/articles/critical-encounters-recordings

(Re)tracing the silver seaweed: A Maker’s Process

https://risdmuseum.org/manual/459_re_tracing_the_silver_seaweed_a_makers_process

The Long Road Home: The Gorham Writing Table and Chair

https://risdmuseum.org/manual/117_the_long_road_home_the_gorham_writing_table_and_chair

Surprise Endings: Gorham Silver’s Mythologique

https://risdmuseum.org/art-design/projects-publications/articles/surprise-endings-gorham-silvers-mythologique

Extra Brilliant: Gorham Silver Deposit on Rookwood Pottery

https://www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org/about/blog/curatorial-blog-3242020/

Exhibition Catalogue

Co-published by the RISD Museum and Rizzoli Electa, Gorham Silver: Designing Brilliance is the first major publication on Gorham in over thirty-five years. This volume features insightful essays with fresh scholarship, accompanied by dazzling new photography of Gorham’s silver as well as archival images, design drawings, casting patterns, and company records. Edited and authored by Elizabeth A. Williams, the David and Peggy Rockefeller Curator of Decorative Arts and Design at the RISD Museum, the catalogue also includes contributions from Cincinnati Art Museum curator Amy Miller Dehan and scholars Emily Banas, David L. Barquist, Gerald M. Carbone, Jeannine Falino, Catherine L. Futter, Erik Gould, Ingrid A. Neuman, John W. Smith and Holly Snyder.

Available in March 2020 through the Cincinnati Art Museum store, in person or online.

Gorham Silver: Designing Brilliance 1850–1970, organized by the RISD Museum, was made possible by a sponsoring grant from the Henry Luce Foundation with additional support from the Zennovation Fund, the National Endowment for the Arts, the RISD Museum Associates, Textron Inc., the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities, friends and members of the Board of Governors, and a generous in-kind gift from Spencer Marks, Ltd.

This exhibition is generously supported by the John A. Schroth Family Charitable Trust

Presented by:

Huntington

Additional support provided by:

 The Sutphin Family Foundation

Evolodesign

Media sponsor:

Cincinnati.com | The Cincinnati Enquirer