Samuel Kirk is regarded today as the greatest of 19th-century Baltimore’s silversmiths. After having completed an apprenticeship with James Howell in Philadelphia, Kirk settled in Baltimore by 1815. Within fifteen years, he dominated the city’s silver industry—his firm being its most successful and prolific manufactory. Over the years it has undergone a series of permutations, including S. Kirk & Son, later S. Kirk & Sons, and Kirk-Stieff.

Samuel Kirk has come to be closely identified with the richly ornamented, repoussé silver. First produced in Baltimore during the 1820s, this aesthetic remained in fashion for more than a century. While this specific taste experienced some favor in Philadelphia, Boston, and New York, the interpretation embraced by Kirk and his contemporaries working in Baltimore is distinctive in American silver.

This pitcher, along with its mate (High Museum of Art, Atlanta), is among Kirk’s masterpieces. The inverted pear shape recalls the Rococo contour introduced in the previous century. The floral repoussé work frames romantic landscape settings depicting European and Asian vignettes, which are characteristic of the eclecticism so closely identified with 19th-century design. The bodies are accentuated by the exaggerated cast handles embellished with spirited hounds, exotic birds, and lush grapevines.