Pie Knife

Public Domain

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Maker Wood & Hughes(American, active 1845–1899)American, active 1845–1899

CultureAmerican

Titles

Pie Knife

Datec. 1860–1868

Made inNew York, New York, United States

MediumSilver with silver gilding

Dimensions3 1/4 × 10 1/2 in. (8.3 × 26.7 cm)

Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, gift of Julia Justice Cauthorn in memory of Michael K. Brown

Object numberB.2014.5

Current Location

Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens

Metals Study Room

On view

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Department

Bayou Bend

Object Type

METALWORK

DescriptionIn 1845, Jacob Wood and Jasper Hughes of New York City established a partnership to form a silver manufactory, and by 1860 they had greatly expanded their workforce to include ninety men. They also employed fifteen women and girls as silver burnishers, as it was widely thought that female hands were especially suited to burnishing and polishing chores. By the 1860s, the firm was the largest maker of silverware in New York City, whereby producing a full line of table silverware, including numerous ornamental patterns of flatware. Silverware was fashioned in countless revival styles. The designers at Wood and Hughes borrowed figures derived from ancient Greek and Roman art, and created this rare pie knife distinguished by its exquisite cast figural handle in the form of a female herm and wide spade server with bright-cut engraving and floral decoration on the handle.
ProvenanceDr. Charles Spencer Curb, Clarksville, Arkansas; purchased by [Phyllis Tucker Antiques, Houston]; purchased by Julia Justice Cauthorn, Houston; given to MFAH, 2014
Published References Charles L. Venable, Silver in America, 1840–1940: A Century of Splendor ([Dallas, Tex.]: Dallas Museum of Art, 1995), p. 65, Fig. 3.20. Dorothy T. Rainwater, Martin Fuller, and Colette Fuller, Encyclopedia of American Silver Manufacturers (Atglen, PA: Schiffer, 2004), pp. 279–80. Catherine Hoover Voorsanger and John K. Howat. Art and the Empire City: New York, 1825–1861 (New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000), p. 373. Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks

On back of handle: shield design
On back of handle: W & H

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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