Ebenezer Smith, Jr.
Coffeepot

CultureAmerican
Titles
  • Coffeepot
Datec. 1814–1825
Made inBeverly, Massachusetts, United States
MediumPewter with wood
Dimensions11 15/16 × 6 × 10 1/16 in. (30.3 × 15.2 × 25.6 cm)
Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, gift of Miss Ima Hogg
Object numberB.53.15
Current Location
Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens
Kilroy Center
On view

Explore Further

Department
Bayou Bend
Object Type
Description

Ebenezer Smith may have served his apprenticeship under Israel Trask; certainly, his handsome coffeepots are closely related in design and construction to examples from Trask’s shop. This so-called lighthouse shape is recognized as among the noblest American interpretations of the form, its profile apparently derived from earlier silver examples or perhaps contemporary ceramics. Another obvious relationship to silver is the bright-cut engraved border and fanciful cartouche.

Technical notes: The vented lid is attached by a three-part hinge, and the finial is soldered. This coffeepot is equipped with a strainer. The handle is made of wood.

Related examples: Watts 1968, p. 47, no. 122; Brandt 1976, pp. 59–60; Sander 1986, p. 605.

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.


Provenance[Carl and Celia Jacobs, Southwick, Massachusetts]; purchased by Miss Ima Hogg, 1953; given to MFAH, by 1966.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
[no inscriptions]
On bottom: mark of Ebenzer Smith, Jr. [Laughlin 1940, vol. 2, p. 113]

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please contact us.

Coffeepot
Ebenezer Smith, Jr.
c. 1814–1825
Pewter with unidentified wood
B.2013.32
Six-piece Tea and Coffee Service
Eoff & Shepard
c. 1852–1861
Silver
B.2020.7.1-.6
Coffeepot
Israel Trask
c. 1820–1840
Pewter, wood
B.53.9
Coffeepot or Teapot
Roswell Gleason
c. 1830–1870
Pewter (britannia metal), unidentified wood
B.75.70
Child's Cann
Ebenezer Noyes Moulton
c. 1790
Silver
B.2018.2
Writing-arm Chair
Ebenezer Tracy
c. 1770–1803
Eastern white pine, yellow-poplar, soft maple, white oak, chestnut, and butternut
B.69.409
Soup Tureen
William Forbes
c. 1860
Silver
B.96.22
Cann
Joseph Danforth, Sr.
c. 1779–1788
Pewter
B.60.65
Cream Pitcher
Samuel Kirk & Son
c. 1850
Silver
B.89.11
Coffeepot (part of a tea and coffee service)
c. 1765–1780
Lead-glazed earthenware (creamware)
B.56.20.1.A,.B
Coffeepot
United States Pottery Company
c. 1852–1858
Lead-glazed earthenware (flint enamel ware)
B.57.19.A,.B
Kettle on Stand
c. 1740–1780
Pewter, paint, and wood
B.56.37