Early American Silver at the Metropolitan Museum of Art: New Reflections in Houston Mar 13, 2012 6:30 PM

Presented by Beth Carver Wees, Curator of American Decorative Arts, Metropolitan Museum of Art

When the Metropolitan Museum of Art opened its American Wing in 1924, silver of the 17th and 18th centuries was displayed in a gallery of its own. Since the 1980s, the Metropolitan Museum’s extensive collection of American silver has been shown in the company of ceramics, glass, and pewter. Now, for the first time in generations, a gallery devoted solely to silver of the Colonial and Federal eras has been installed and these objects considered anew.

Traditionally associated with financial security and social standing, wrought silver vessels were also highly prized for their beauty and utility. Early Americans presented them to houses of worship, commissioned them to mark important occasions, and bequeathed them to heirs. Silver remains the ideal choice for honoring individual, civic, and professional accomplishments. In this lecture, Beth Carver Wees discusses design sources, workshop practices, patronage, connoisseurship, and recent research. Whether handed down from generation to generation or melted and refashioned in the newest style, objects made of silver reflect the pride and pleasure of their owners. Their appeal is universal and enduring.

A reception follows the lecture. For more information, e-mail jmilillo@mfah.org or call 713.639.7759.

Beth Carver Wees is curator of American Decorative Arts at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where she is responsible for the collections of American silver, jewelry, and other metalwork. Before joining the staff in 2000, she was curator of Decorative Arts at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. She has published numerous articles and catalogues, including English, Irish & Scottish Silver at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. At the Metropolitan Museum she was in-house curator and catalogue contributor for Silversmiths to the Nation: Thomas Fletcher and Sidney Gardiner, 1808–1842, organized by the Winterthur Museum. She is currently cataloguing for publication the Metropolitan’s extensive collection of early American silver and has recently installed a new permanent gallery dedicated to Colonial and Federal period silver. She lectures internationally and is a member of the Silver Society, the New York Silver Society, the American Society of Jewelry Historians, the American Ceramic Circle, and the American Friends of the Attingham Summer School.

The Carol and Les Ballard Lecture Series Twice yearly, Bayou Bend presents a remarkable opportunity to hear renowned scholars speak about interesting and important aspects of American decorative and fine arts.