This fantastically conceived and executed soup tureen, with its profuse engraving and realistic castings of stag heads and what appears to be a cross between an elk and a moose, certainly must be among the most complex, costly examples of the form produced up to this date. Its iconography recalls hunting, foodstuffs, and dining, all themes espoused earlier in Dutch and French painting. By the mid-nineteenth century these motifs could be interpreted variously, ranging from humanity’s attempts to conquer nature to an effort to transform the commonplace act of eating into the civilized ceremony of dining. The soup tureen evokes an abundance intended to convey a sense of plenty, as well as a spirit and lifestyle wholly appropriate for a richly appointed dining room of the day.

Technical notes: The foot is seamed. The stem, bowl, and cover are raised. The cast handles are vented. The finial, incorporating a cast base, is bolted to the lid.  

Related examples: Campbell 1972, no. 28.

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.