Elias Pelletreau
Porringer

MakerAmerican, born France, 1726–1810
CultureAmerican
Titles
  • Porringer
Datec. 1747–1810
Made inSouthampton, New York, United States
MediumSilver
Dimensions1 15/16 × 4 15/16 × 6 15/16 in. (4.9 × 12.5 × 17.6 cm)
Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, gift of Miss Ima Hogg
Object numberB.69.114
Current Location
Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens
Metals Study Room
Exposé

Explore Further

Department
Bayou Bend
Object Type
Description

New York City artisans employed a broad range of patterns for porringer handles. Among the most characteristic is this distinctive design with its three large piercings, also employed by silversmiths working in Albany, Utica, and parts of Long Island, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, regions that evince a New York City influence in their decorative arts.

Technical notes: See B.69.101.

Related examples: The Bayou Bend porringer was originally one of a pair; its mate descended in the Floyd-Jones family until it was bequeathed to the Museum of the City of New York (acc. no. 90.51.11). Other Pelletreau porringers with this handle include Buhler 1972, vol. 2, p. 592, no. 508; Failey 1976, pp. 142, 210, nos. 165, 244; Conger 1991, p. 323, no. 198; Quimby 1995, p. 275, no. 238.

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.


ProvenanceEdward Eastman Minor (1876–1953), Mount Carmel, Connecticut; given to his daughter Margaret Eastman Minor Prince (1913–1968), Chevy Chase, Maryland; purchased by Miss Ima Hogg, 1954; given to MFAH, 1969.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
Engraved on base: MB[B superscript]E
Back of handle: mark of Elias Pelletreau [Buhler and Hood 1970, vol. II, p. 283, nos. 668, 670–75]

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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