Butter Knife
Gorham Manufacturing Company|George Washington Maher
1912 · Silver · The American Wing
In the 1890s the Gorham Manufacturing Company introduced a line of handmade silver with a hammered finish, which was marketed under the name Martelé. Unique among the firm's efforts in Martelé is this flatware service (1987.242.1-12), created by the Prairie School architect George W. Maher (1864–1926) for Rockledge, the summer residence he designed in 1912 for Ernest and Grace King near Winona, Minnesota. A single place setting consists of twelve pieces, each chased with the Kings' monogram, which is intertwined with lily blossoms. Lilies, which grew locally in wild profusion, also ornament other furnishings and architectural elements at Rockledge, as does Maher's trademark flattened arch, which here defines the terminal of each handle.
- Artist
- Gorham Manufacturing Company|George Washington Maher
- Date
- 1912
- Medium
- Silver
- Culture
- American
- Department
- The American Wing
- Credit line
- Friends of the American Wing Fund, 1987
