Soup tureen
Unknown Artist
1759–60
Medium
Silver
Dimensions
9 3/4 × 15 1/4 in. (24.8 × 38.7 cm)
Classification
Metalwork-Silver
Culture
British, London
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1913
Accession Number
13.42.44a, b
Tags
Art Historical Context
This elegant silver soup tureen, in London around 1759–60, exemplifies the exquisite metalwork of mid-18th-century Britain the reign of George III. Standing at 9 3/4 × 15 1/4 inches, it was designed for grand dining tables in affluent households, where such vessels served both practical and display purposes. London silversmiths were renowned for their technical mastery, often employing techniques like chasing, engraving, and casting to create durable yet opulent pieces marked by the era's hallmark for authenticity and quality. The tureen's decoration features intricate pomegranates—symbols of...