Centerpiece

1824–25

Marked by John Bridge (born England, 1755–1834)
Retailed by Rundell, Bridge and Rundell (1788–1843)
London

This silver centerpiece’s large scale and robust modeling epitomize the lavish quality of works by Rundell, Bridge and Rundell, one of the most prestigious retailers of silver and jewelry in the British Empire. It likely served as the model for a nearly identical group of four made for King George IV.

The design exploits silver’s plasticity to great effect, as seen in the craggy coral and turtles that support the base and in the undulating curves of the seashell bowl. Mythical figures—seahorses and the god Triton blowing his conch shell—demonstrate the firm’s mastery in blending naturalistic forms with symbolic references to the sea.

Status: On View, Galleries 231-233
Department: Applied Arts of Europe

Artist: John Bridge
Title: Centerpiece
Place: England (Artist's nationality:)
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.: 1824
Medium: Silver
Inscriptions: Mark: "i", lion passant, King's head, "IB"
Dimensions: 39.7 × 40.7 × 37.2 cm (15 5/8 × 16 × 14 5/8 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of Emily Crane Chadbourne
Reference Number: 1967.486
IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.: https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/27870/manifest.json

Art Institute of Chicago Calendar, September 1968, vol. 62, no. 4.
Antiques, part II, July 1971, vol. C, no. 1, pp. 110-115, fig. 5 reproduced.
Jane Clark, Auxiliary Board, Art Institute of Chicago, April 1984.
Ian Wardropper and Lynn Springer Roberts, European Decorative Arts in the Art Institute of Chicago (Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, 1991), pp. 58 (detail), 62-63 (ill.).

Sold S. J. Phillips, Ltd., London, 1967; Purchased by the Art Institute of Chicago, 1967.

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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.

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IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.

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IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.