Miniature tankard
late 18th century
Medium
Silver
Dimensions
2 × 1 7/8 in. (5.1 × 4.8 cm)
Classification
Metalwork-Silver-Miniature
Culture
British, London
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Joseph M. and Aimee Loeb May Collection, 1963
Accession Number
63.53.122
Art Historical Context
Nestled in the European Sculpture and Decorative Arts collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, exquisite *Miniature tankard* by London silversmith David Clayton dates to the late 18th century. Craft from gleaming silver, it measures just2 × 1 7/8 inches (5.1 × 4.8 cm), the era's fascination with diminutive luxury objects. Tankards, traditionally robust drinking vessels for ale or beer, were miniaturized into charming novelties, perfect for affluent collectors or as whimsical table decorations. Clayton's work highlights the pinnacle of British silver craftsmanship during the Georgian peri...
About the Artist
David Clayton · 1659–1719
David Clayton was an American artist active during the New Deal era who contributed to the Index of American Design, the federal government's sweeping effort to document American decorative arts and folk traditions through watercolor illustration. Organized under the Works Progress Administration's Federal Art Project beginning in 1935, the Index employed artists in thirty-four states to render ev...