Samuel Kirk & Son
Cream Pitcher

MakerAmerican, active 1846–1861; 1868–1896
CultureAmerican
Titles
  • Cream Pitcher
Datec. 1850
Made inBaltimore, Maryland, United States
MediumSilver
Dimensions9 7/16 × 3 3/8 × 5 1/2 in. (24 × 8.6 × 14 cm)
Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, gift of Mrs. Dudley C. Sharp
Object numberB.89.11
Non exposé

Explore Further

Department
Bayou Bend
Object Type
Description

Heavily repoussé surfaces were decorated by hand and therefore unique. A range of motifs, including flowers, landscapes, Chinese pagodas, Gothic castles, and, in spite of their obvious incongruity, landmark Baltimore buildings, were integrated into these fictional scenes. Samuel Kirk and Andrew Ellicott Warner were the principal disseminators of this style. The pitcher’s elongated form and characteristic angular handle, probably French-derived, was adapted for ewers and water pitchers as well as cream pitchers.

Related examples: Goldsborough et al. 1983. pp. 148, 151, nos. 171, 172, 178; McFadden and Clark 1989, pp. 86, 89; Conger 1991, pp. 364–65, no. 233: Weidman et al. 1993, p. 161; Talbott 1995, pp. 119, 123–24, nos. 64a, b. A kettle on stand by Samuel Kirk & Son Co. that came from another branch of the donor’s family was given to the MFA, Houston (acc. no. 86.326.1, .2).

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.


ProvenanceRichard Wayne; by descent to his great granddaughter Mrs. Dudley C. Sharp, Sr., Houston; purchased by MFAH, 1989.
Exhibition History

Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
Engraved below spout: RW [Richard Wayne]
Underneath body: Mark of Samuel Kirk & Son [Goldsborough et al. 1983, p. 264, no. 164] [stamp incorporates a quality mark that first appears in Baltimore after the passage of the 1830 Assay Law]

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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Pitcher
Samuel Kirk & Son
c. 1850
Silver
B.2005.3
Medal
Samuel Kirk & Son
c. 1850
Silver
B.88.22
Tea Kettle, Stand, and Burner
Samuel Kirk & Son
c. 1903–1924
Sterling silver
86.326.1,.2
Samuel Kirk & Son
c. 1903–1924
Sterling silver
86.327
Tea and Coffee Service
Samuel Kirk
1823
Silver
B.2019.6.1-.6
Pair of Saltcellars
William Gale, Son, & Co.
1852
Silver and glass
B.92.2,.3
High-spouted Ewer
late 12th century
Brass; raised, repoussé, inlaid with silver and copper
2014.1
Pitcher
United States Pottery Company
c. 1852–1858
Porcelain (parian ware)
B.98.17
Tea and Coffee Service
Samuel Kirk
c. 1824–1829
Silver
B.71.89.1-.6
Tongs
Samuel Kirk
c. 1824–1829
Silver
B.71.90
Tiffany & Co.
1865
Sterling silver
95.51
Pitcher with Zachary Taylor
c. 1848–1852
Porcelain with enamel and gilding
B.54.16