John Burt
Porringer

MakerAmerican, 1692/93–1745/46
CultureAmerican
Titles
  • Porringer
Datec. 1720–1746
Made inBoston, Massachusetts, United States
MediumSilver
Dimensions2 × 5 1/4 × 7 13/16 in. (5.1 × 13.3 × 19.8 cm)
Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, gift of Miss Ima Hogg
Object numberB.69.94
Current Location
Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens
Metals Study Room
Exposé

Explore Further

Department
Bayou Bend
Object Type
Description

Porringers were often produced in sets of two to six.  Over the years most sets were divided, and today they are known only through manuscript references. The Bayou Bend example was originally one of a set of at least three. 

Related examples:  The Bayou Bend porringer's engraved initials indicate it was originally part of a set with one now at RISD (acc. no. 22.110), and another was auctioned by Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, sale 2919, October 28, 1969, lot 132. Kane 1998 lists thirty-one porringers from the John Burt shop.

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.


Provenance[Gebelein Silversmiths, Boston, 1954]; purchased by Miss Ima Hogg, 1954; given to MFAH, 1969.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
Engraved on top of handle: S*B
Top of handle: mark of John Burt [Buhler and Hood 1970, vol. I, p. 323, nos. 111–15]

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please contact us.

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