Collection Highlights
Common Sense
Date:
1776
Object Number:
LIB.Y1776.Paine.com
Medium:
Pamphlet, paper
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Museum Collections
Luce Center
Tray
Object Number:
1957.191c
Date:
ca. 1830
Medium:
Silver
Dimensions:
Overall: 1 3/8 x 21 1/4 x 13 1/2 in. ( 3.5 x 54 x 34.3 cm )
Silver Weight: 65 oz (troy) 4 dwt (2028 g)
Marks:
engraved: center: "SA" in script, below the Arden family arms, five ostrich feathers
engraved: on the base: "Oz dwts/ 67 . 4"
stamped: on the base: "J & I. COX" in roman letters in a rectangle above "N-YORK" in roman letters in a rectangle
Description:
Wrought silver tray; flat, chamfered, rectangular base with raised, convex sides and an applied, cast reeded band around the rim; two cast corkscrew handles with curved grips applied to opposite sides; sides outlined with wheel turned decoration; three bands of punched and engraved semi-circles with foliate motifs in their centers around the edges of the tray; "SA" engraved in script in the center, below the Arden family arms, five ostrich feathers; makers' marks stamped on the base.
Gallery Label:
This tray is part of a set of three that belonged to Susan Arden (1766-1849), the daughter of New York merchant Thomas Arden (1721-1798. The set is boldly engraved with Arden's initials and family crest. With their oversized monogram, the trays conveyed a strong statement of power and wealth, particularly for a woman of the period (and, not inconsequentially, one who was unmarried). This sumptuous set of three trays, in graduated sizes, required more than 283 ounces of silver.
Credit Line:
Bequest of John B. Morris, Jr.
Provenance:
Susan Arden (1766-1849); probably bequeathed to her niece, Mary Elizabeth Babcock (1808-1851), who married William Lewis Morris (1805-1864); to their son John Babcock Morris (b. 1839), who married Mary E. Faitoute (b. 1845); to their son, John Babcock Morris, Jr. (1881-1957), the donor.
Due to ongoing research, information about this object is subject to change.
