Appreciating History

Incredible rare creamware pottery teapot with an image and script of Queen Charlotte.

Ref: 1793
Dated: 1775 Staffordshire or Yorkshire England.

Queen Charlotte was a known patron of the arts, including porcelain production. Her reign coincided with a rise in English porcelain popularity.

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Queen Charlotte's tastes were rather less plain than her husband's (King George III)and she had some very luxurious rooms in the new Queen's House.

She assembled an impressive collection of furniture, Sèvres porcelain and oriental decorative arts, in ivory, porcelain, embroidered silk and lacquer and she also collected jewelled and gold boxes.

Some of the most expensive furniture in the collection was made for Queen Charlotte, for example this Vile & Cobb jewel cabinet to house her extensive collection of diamonds and pearls.

Did you read our article about World Columbian Exhibition in Chicago?

Fun fact: one of the most iconic jewelry designers from Gorham silver was Eilliam Codman, who designed Gorham display for that event!

Other prominent works from Mr. Codman: communion plate for the See of Liverpool and the Memorial Chapel in Delhi, India; candelabra for St. Paul's in London; and lighting fixtures for the Notre-Dame Cathedral, Luxembourg.

Gorham Manufacturing Company's Works. Canal, Steeple, and North Main Streets, Providence, 1886.

The firm's chief product was spoons of coin silver. The company also made thimbles, combs, jewelry, and other small items.

Have you ever wondered about the history behind a treasured Gorham silver?

It’s all started with Jabez Gorham, who became the foremost Rhode Island producer of jewelry and silverware. While in his twenties, Gorham established a shop at North Main and Steeple Streets, the first of several buildings that formed his original factory complex. By the end of the century, the company he founded was a world leader in the production of silverware.

Photo: Jabez Gorham house now