posted 10-30-2007 11:43 AM            

Lecture and Book Signing
2:00 PM
Silversmiths to the Nation: Thomas Fletcher & Sidney Gardiner
Donald L. Fennimore,
Curator Emeritus, Winterthur
Ann K. Wagner,
Assistant Curator of
Decorative Arts, Winterthur

posted 10-30-2007 12:33 PM            

1000 Fifth Avenue at 82nd Street
New York, New York 10028-0198
General Information: 212-535-7710

Silversmiths to the Nation:
Thomas Fletcher and Sidney Gardiner, 1808–1842

The silversmithing firm established in Boston in 1808 by Thomas Fletcher and Sidney Gardiner, and relocated to Philadelphia three years later, produced silver of unprecedented quality and grandeur. This exhibition is the first devoted entirely to their work and its role in commemorating America's pride as a nation. It will feature monumental vessels that celebrate naval and civic heroes as well as domestic and personal items, all of which display sophisticated design and skilled manufacture. The grand scale and patriotic imagery that characterize much of their work reflects the country’s coming of age as a commercial, industrial, political, and artistic center. English and Continental models will provide background and context for the American achievements. In addition, an extremely rare group of surviving drawings belonging to the Metropolitan Museum will illuminate the creative process.