Neoclassicism was an appropriate style for the young democracy of the United States. It was largely inspired by British reconfigurations of ancient Greek and Roman motifs. In the former colonies, the years immediately following the Revolution are characterized by growing prosperity and technological innovations, both reflected in the silver objects they produced. Earlier, tea sets with matching vessels were rarely commissioned; by the Neoclassical period they were commonplace. Standish Barry’s tea set, with its beading and pierced galleries, typifies the Philadelphia-Baltimore interpretation, although the cream pot is a singular expression, its cover to keep warmth in and insects out and its unique spout more reminiscent of a teapot’s.

Technical notes: The pearlwork's consistency suggests it was cast. The teapot collar is fashioned separately and soldered on. Its lid is not hinged. The teapot and sugar urn's finials are bolted. The cream pot's is soldered on, and its lid is vented. A device that seems to be a cross between a shell and an anthemion secures the silver handle just below the rim.

Related examples: A range of Barry’s silver is illustrated in Pleasants and Sill 1972, pl. XVII; Goldsborough et al. 1983, p. 82, no. 29.

Book excerpt: David B. Warren, Michael K. Brown, Elizabeth Ann Coleman, and Emily Ballew Neff.  American Decorative Arts and Paintings in the Bayou Bend Collection. Houston: Princeton Univ. Press, 1998.