Coffee Spoon
ca. 1795
Medium
Silver
Dimensions
L. 5 in. (12.7 cm)
Classification
Spoon
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Grima Johnson, 2005
Accession Number
2005.462.11
Art Historical Context
Nestled in The American Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art this delicate **Coffee Spoon** by silversmith David Vinton crafted around 1795, exemplifies the refined elegance of early Federal-era America. Measuring just 5 inches long it hails from a time when the young United States was embracing neoclassical tastes inspired by ancient Greece and Rome, following the Revolutionary War. Vinton, working likely in Providence, Rhode Island hub for American silver production—created pieces that blended British influences with emerging national pride, making tableware like this a subtle statement of...