Cream Pot
Date1813-1828
Marked by
Joseph Clarico
(1785 - 1828)
MediumSilver
DimensionsOL:4 ¾”; OW: 2 ½”; OH: 7 1/8” (including handle)
Credit LineMuseum Purchase, The Friends of Colonial Williamsburg Collections Fund
Object number2014-11
DescriptionCream pot: Urn shaped body on stepped square spreading foot; thin tapered ribbed s-scroll handle with pointed bottom tip; handle with small hexagonal thumbpiece; body with large double bands around center; lower body with large gadroons; rim and pouring lip with corded edge.Label TextJoseph Clarico (1785-1828) worked as a silversmith and jeweler in Norfolk, Virginia, from about 1813 until his death in 1828. Little is known of his early training and career, but newspaper advertisements document his importation from New York and Philadelphia of jewelry and accessories for both gentlemen and ladies, as well as his ability to make and repair gold and silver work of any description. He also employed a journeyman for watch and clock repair in his shop. Several marks for Clarico are known, suggesting that he had a large and productive business; nonetheless, this cream pot is only the second recorded piece of hollowware currently known by this silversmith. The handle of the cream pot is of particular note. Its slender form and playful curve provide the perfect foil for the heavy, rhythmic gadroons that encircle the lower body of this ample vessel.
As a principal port city, Norfolk provided craftsmen like Joseph Clarico with easy access to imported goods from England and Northern cities such as Philadelphia and New York. It also boasted merchants who proved reliable customers.
MarkingsMarked in relief in a rectangle inside foot "_CLARICO". Note that the first letter of the mark is illegible.
