Tumbler

Paul Revere Jr.

1797 · Silver · The American Wing

This set of four tumblers or small drinking cups (58.3.1-.4) was made for the Salem, Massachusetts merchant Elias Hasket Derby (1739–1799) and descended in his family. They are among the "12 Silver tumblers" that Revere supplied to Derby in 1797. Their plain, slightly rounded bodies with engraved borders were made to match a set of four cups already owned by Derby, marked by the Parisian silversmith Denis Colombier in 1789. The similarities are striking, although the French originals are more intricately engraved. These objects illustrate both the influence of French design on late eighteenth-century American taste and the role of the patron in commissioning silver. One of the Colombier beakers (67.94) also belongs to the Museum, offering the opportunity to compare copies to their original source.

Artist

Paul Revere Jr.

Date

1797

Medium

Silver

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Purchase, Gift of Mrs. Russell Sage, by exchange, 1958