Coffee Pot

Artist Thomas Hammersley (American, 1727-1781)

Dateabout 1760

Dimensions11 3/4 in. (29.8 cm)

MediumSilver, wood handle

ClassificationMetalwork

Credit LinePurchased with funds from the Florence Scott Libbey Bequest in Memory of her Father, Maurice A. Scott

Object number

1976.18

On View

Toledo Museum of Art (2445 Monroe Street), Gallery, 29

Label TextObjects made for use at the American table often reflected and imitated prevailing tastes in Europe. Imports of goods, as well as pattern books from English furniture makers, helped American artisans keep up with the European fashions favored by some of their elite clientele. This luxury coffee pot shows every sign of being up-to-date. In the 1760s, when it was made, the Rococo style was the height of fashion in England. Details such as the shell-like decoration at the tip and base of the spout and the leaf-like forms on the lid’s finial are characteristic of this style. The complex, inward and outward curving profile of the lid and shape of the wooden handle express the Rococo emphasis on active, flowing forms.