Milk Pot

Art Historical Context

This elegant milk pot, crafted between 1848 and 1851 by the New York firms of Ball, Tompkins and Black and Charters, Cann & Dunn, showcases the refined silverwork of mid-nineteenth-century America. Standing just over nine inches tall and weighing more than twenty-three ounces, the vessel combines gleaming silver with ivory accents, a combination prized for both its beauty and practicality in serving hot liquids. Such pieces formed part of elaborate tea or coffee services that adorned the tables of prosperous American households during the Victorian era. As a product of prominent American silversmiths the milk pot reflects the growing sophistication of domestic metalwork in the decades before the Civil War. These firms drew on traditional techniques of raising, chasing, and finishing silver while incorporating ivory handles or finials that added both insulation and visual contrast. Today it resides in the Metropolitan Museum’s American Wing, where it offers visitors a tangible connection to the material culture of the period. Donated in 1944 by Mr. and Mrs. Henry Mali, the object continues to illustrate how everyday luxury items embodied both craftsmanship and social aspiration in nineteenth-century America.

About the Artist

Ball, Tompkins and Black|Charters, Cann & Dunn (American|American) · 1826 |1839 –1863 |1851

baptized 1799, active New York, 1826–63|active 1839–51