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Covered Compote

A work made of silver and ivory.

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  • A work made of silver and ivory.

Date:

1926

Artist:

Designed by Erik Magnussen (American, born Denmark, 1884–1961)
Gorham Manufacturing Company (American, founded 1831, part of Lenox since 2005)
Providence, Rhode Island

About this artwork

Danish-born Erik Magnussen’s early pieces for Gorham reflect the stylized vegetal and foliate motifs popularized in the United States by his countryman Georg Jensen. Nonetheless, Magnussen realized that “America demands something plainer, something vitally characteristic.” As a result, by 1926 his designs stressed simplicity, function, and opulent materials. A writer for Good Furniture Magazine acknowledged this trend: “He has developed an American style—a style that is plain, dignified, pure of line, and yet with an indefinable touch of the new, modern feeling.”

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of the Americas

Artist

Erik Magnussen

Title

Covered Compote

Place

Providence (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1926

Medium

Silver and ivory

Inscriptions

Marked on base: GORHAM [picture of lion] [picture of anchor] ["G" in calligraphy] STERLING Y F S [picture of sailboat]

Dimensions

30.5 × 17.8 cm (12 3/8 × 7 in.)

Credit Line

Purchased with funds provided by the Antiquarian Society

Reference Number

1984.1172a-b

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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