Plate
1814–39
Medium
Pewter
Dimensions
Diam. 7 3/4 in. (19.7 cm)
Classification
Plate
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Stephen S. FitzGerald, 1962
Accession Number
62.89.27
Art Historical Context
Behold this elegant pewter plate crafted by Samuel Kilbourn an American artisan active between 1814 and 1839. Measuring 7 3/4 inches in diameter, this simple yet refined piece exemplifies the functional beauty of early 19th-century American metalwork. Housed in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's American Wing, it was generously gifted by Mrs. Stephen S. Fitz in 1962, a slice of everyday elegance from the Federal and early Antebellum eras. Pewter, an alloy primarily of tin with traces of antimony and copper, was a staple material for middle-class tableware in the young United States. More afford...