Pewter is an alloy composed largely of tin, with copper, lead, antimony, and bismuth added to strengthen the metal, create a smooth surface, and enhance its color. Pewter was less expensive than silver and, accordingly, its use more wide-spread. Damaged and outmoded objects retained much of their value since they could be melted down and recast. Thomas Danforth, II’s dish, possibly dating from the 1750s, is probably the earliest example of American pewter in the Bayou Bend collection.

Technical notes: Dishes, as well as plates, saucers, and basins, were cast in a two-part mold. As part of the finishing process, the booge, the curved section between the bottom and the brim, was hammered. This technique strengthened what was a brittle area, reducing the likelihood of cracking from stress. Such handwork, usually limited to colonial examples, was optional, representing an additional production expense.

Related examples: Hood 1965, p. 13, no. 5; Kernan. Ross, and Eilers 1969, pp. 14, 46, no. II; Fairbanks 1974, p. 108, nos. 165, 168; Montgomery 1978, p. 293.

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.