Images(4)

Sugar Basket

Dateca. 1795

Maker Asa Blansett

OriginAmerica, Virginia, Dumfries

MediumSilver

DimensionsOH(with handle): 4 5/8"; H(rim): 3 3/8"; L(base): 3 3/4"; W(base): 2 7/16"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase, Milly McGehee LLC, The Friends of Colonial Williamsburg Collections Fund and an Anonymous Donor

Object number2003-133

DescriptionOval sugar basket with almost straight sides, concave rim, and a semi-circular hinged handle accross the lowest part of the rim.
Label TextLiving in the small northern Virginia port of Dumfries, Asa Blansett advertised himself in 1795 as a “Gold, Silversmith, and Jeweler.” He further noted that he had “lately returned…from Philadelphia and New York, where he has spent some time in order to improve himself in the different branches of his profession.” Blansett’s work at this period was often sleek and reserved, with minimal ornament, a style then widely popular in coastal Virginia.

Like many other post-Revolutionary artisans, Blansett eventually moved west in search of better opportunities. He took up residence in Lexington, Kentucky, in 1806, and changed his surname to Blanchard. There he ran a highly successful silversmithing firm until his death in 1838.

Inscribed"WM" engraved in feathered script on the face of the basket beneath the handle hinge.
Markings"A·BLANSETT" in relief within a conforming rectangle on the bottom for Asa Blansett.
ProvenanceAsa Blansett (aka Asa Blanchard, d. 1838) advertised as a "Gold, Silversmith, and Jeweller" in Dumfries, Virginia in September 1795. In the advertisement he stated that he had recently returned from New York and Philadelphia, where he had gone to "improve himself in the different branches of his profession." He moved to Kentucky in 1806 with a letter of recommendation from Nat Smith to Henry Clay which referred to the silversmith as both Mr. "Blancet" and "Blanchard". By 1808, he was settled in Lexington, Kentucky, where he went by "Asa Blanchard."

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