Edward Winslow was one of the most prolific and original silversmiths of the 18th century. His work consistently redefined accepted forms for silver objects. This three-lobed platter is rare in American 18th-century design and has no known prototype. Most likely the serving surface was used to hold four small, stemmed wine glasses and was placed on the dining table after a meal.
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.
Marked on top at lower edge: "EW" over a fleur-de-lis in a shaped shield
Engraved at the center with unicorn crest
Dimensions
5.1 × 17.8 × 17.8 cm (2 1/4 × 7 1/4 × 7 in.)
Credit Line
Purchased with funds provided by the Antiquarian Society
Reference Number
1948.107
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Kathryn C. Buhler, “Three Early American Salvers.” Bulletin of the Museum of Fine Arts (Boston) 33, 198 (August 1935), 52–54 (ill.).
Helen Comstock, “Silver by Edward Winslow of Boston, 1669–1753),” The Connoisseur CVIII, 482 (December 1941), 205–209 (ill.).
Kathryn C. Buhler, American Silver (World Publishing Co., 1950), 23 (ill.).
The Antiquarian Society (Art Institute of Chicago, 1951), no. 47 (ill.).
The Art Institute of Chicago, American and European Decorative Arts from the Collections of The Antiquarian Society, 1878–1951 (Art Institute of Chicago, 1951), 47 (ill.).
Helen Comstock, “The Connoisseur in America: Work of the Antiquarian Society in Chicago,” in The Connoisseur CXXX, 528 (October 1952) p. 148.
Richard McLanathan ed, “Colonial Silversmiths, Maters and Apprentices,” (Boston: The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1956), 29.
Meyric R. Rogers, “American Decorative Arts at The Art Institute of Chicago,” The Magazine Antiques LXXIV, 1 (July 1958), 49–56 (ill.).
David A. Hanks, “American Silver at The Art Institute of Chicago,” The Magazine Antiques XCVIII, 3 (September 1970), 418–422 (ill.).
Graham Hood, American Silver: A History of Style, 1650–1900 (New York: Praeger Publishers, 1971) p. 81–82 (ill.).
Michael Clayton, The Collector’s Dictionary of the Silver and Gold of Great Britain and North American (New York: World Publishing Co., 1971) p. 235 (ill.). no. 462.
Harold Osborne ed, The Oxford Companion to the Decorative Arts (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1975) p. 741 (ill.).
Milo M. Naeve, The Classical Presence in American Art (The Art Institute of Chicago, 1975) p. 741 (ill.).
Judith A. Barter, et al., American Arts at The Art Institute of Chicago: From Colonial Times to World War I (The Art Institute of Chicago, 1998), 56–58, no. 8.
Patricia E. Kane et al., Colonial Massachusetts Silversmiths and Jewelers (New Haven: Yale University Art Gallery, 1998) p. 980, (ill.).
Judith A. Barter, Elizabeth McGoey, et al., American Silver in the Art Institute of Chicago (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2016), cat. 9 (ill.).
New Haven, Yale University Art Gallery, Masterpieces of New England Silver, 1650–1800, June 18–Sept. 10, 1939, cat. 199.
Art Institute of Chicago, From Colony to Nation: An Exhibition of American Painting, Silver and Architecture from 1650 to the War of 1812, Apr. 21 – June 19, 1949, cat. 221 (ill.).
Kansas City, Nelson–Atkins Gallery of Art, Antique American and English Silver, Oct. 1–30, 1950, no cat.
Kansas City, Nelson–Atkins Museum of Art, Silver from Mid–Western Collections, Sept. 14–Dec. 1, 1956.
Minneapolis Institute of Arts, French, English, and American Silver, June 9 – July 15, 1956, cat. 307 (ill.).
Richmond, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Masterpieces of American Silver, Jan. 15 – Feb. 14, 1960, cat. 139.
Milwaukee Art Center, Vignettes of the 18th Century in America: Arts and Decorations of the Colonial and Federal Periods, July 1–31, 1960, cat. 4.
Art Institute of Chicago, The Antiquarian Society:The First 100 Years, Apr. 23– June 19, 1977, cat. 177 (ill.).
By descent to Marcus Morton Jr. (born 1893), Boston; sold to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1948.
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