Teapot

Arts of the Americas

c. 1793

Daniel Van Voorhis
American, 1751–1824
New York

The style of this tea set (1950.1584 and 1950.1648a-c) was a popular one in New York at the turn of the 19th century. The shapes and decoration of the set were inspired by classical Roman designs unearthed at Herculaneum and Pompeii during the 1730s, and reinterpretation of the finds were disseminated in the popular furniture designs of Thomas Sheraton and George Hepplewhite. The bright-cut engraving is typical of the period. The Van Voorhis pieces employ a large drapery swag as a background to the central motif containing engraved initials of the original owner. The companion tea caddy (1950.1585) was made later to match the three-piece set; though the engraving on the caddy looks the same as those on the rest of the set, close examination reveals that it is by a different hand.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Arts of the Americas

Artist: Daniel Van Voorhis
Title: Teapot
Place: New York City (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.: c. 1793
Medium: Silver
Inscriptions: Marked on bottom, in rectangle, with two eagles within diamonds appearing above and below: D. V. VOORHIS Engraved at center on proper left side: R. B. M. N.
Dimensions: 15.9 × 28.6 × 12.1 cm (6 1/4 × 11 1/4 × 4 3/4 in.)
Credit Line: Purchased with funds provided by the Antiquarian Society through Mrs. Cyrus H. Adams and Mrs. James C. Hutchins Jr.
Reference Number: 1950.1584
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/73100/manifest.json

Antiquarian Society of the Art Institute of Chicago, A Pictorial Review of Notable Objects in its Collections and Notes on the Society’s Aims and History (Chicago, 1951) no. 58a.
Meyric Rogers, “American Decorative Arts at the Art Institute of Chicago” Magazine Antiques 74, 1 (July 1958) p. 55.
Katherine McClinton, Collecting American 19th Century Silver (New York: Scribners, 1968) p. 17.
Milo Naeve, Classical Presence in American Art (Chicago: Art Institute 1978) p. 21 (ill.).
Arthur Pulos, American Design Ethic, A History of Industrial Design to 1940 (Cambridge: MIT Press, 1983) p. 43 (ill.).
Judith A. Barter, et al., American Arts at The Art Institute of Chicago: From Colonial Times to World War I (Chicago: The Art Institute of Chicago, 1998), 112–113, no. 41.
Judith A. Barter, Elizabeth McGoey, et al., American Silver in the Art Institute of Chicago (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2016), cat. 38 (ill.).
Elizabeth McGoey, ed., American Silver in the Art Institute of Chicago (Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, 2018), https://publications.artic.edu/americansilver/reader/collection/section/6, cat. 38 (ill.).

Milwaukee Art Institute, Traditions of American Silver, Feb. 13–Mar. 19, 1952, cat. 37.
Art Institute of Chicago, The Antiquarian Society: The First One Hundred Years, Apr. 23–June 19, 1977, cat. 199 (ill.).

With Children’s Memorial Hospital, Chicago, by 1950; with White Elephant Shop, Children’s Memorial Hospital, Chicago, 1950; sold to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1950.

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.

Currently Off View

Status

Department

Artist

Title

Place

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.

Medium

Inscriptions

Dimensions

Credit Line

Reference Number

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.

Explore Further

Suggested Terms

Currently Off View

Date:

Artist:

About this artwork

Status

Department

Artist

Title

Place

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.

Medium

Inscriptions

Dimensions

Credit Line

Reference Number

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.

Extended information about this artwork

Publication History

Exhibition History

Provenance

Share

Explore Further

Sign up for our enewsletter to receive updates.

Gallery actions

Image actions

Share

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.