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2020-279,1-3, Tea Service
Teapot (from a 3-piece service)
2020-279,1-3, Tea Service

Teapot (from a 3-piece service)

Dateca.1790-1795
Maker Garrett Schanck (1768 - 1795)
OriginAmerica, New York, New York City
MediumSilver and wood
DimensionsHeight: 6 13/16"; Maximum width: 11 3/4"; Base: 6 3/16" x 4"
Credit LineBequest of Joseph H. and June S. Hennage
Object number2020-279,1
DescriptionOval silver teapot with a concave top stepped up to a hinged, domed cover with a pineapple finial, a straight, tapering spout, a C-shaped wooden handle. The handle sockets and the top and bottom of the body are stepped and edged with beaded banding. Light undulating and dotted engraving traces along the hinge and rim of the top and lid, with some light floral engraving also on the lid and sides of the spout.
Label TextEpitomizing the American neoclassical tea service, this set masterfully combines finely detailed ornamentation with broad expanses of smooth, polished metal. It is the work of Garrett Schanck, who died when he was only twenty-seven years old. Schenck had been apprenticed to Daniel Van Voorhis in 1784, and was working as his partner by 1791, the same year he married. Garrett's younger brother John, who was to become a noted silversmith, administered the estate along with Sarah, his widow. The 1795 estate inventory listed "5 pineapples" valued at 5 shillings each, certainly representing finials like those seen on this set's teapot and sugar bowl.
InscribedBoth sides of body are engraved with swag-draped crested shields, highlighted by bright-cuts and rows of doted lines. The initials "GP" in sprigged script appear within the shield.
MarkingsStruck on the bottom with "G.SCHANCK" in relief within a rectangle. To either side of Schanck's mark is an "m" in relief within a shield, and a spread eagle in relief within an oval, both rotated 180 degrees.
ProvenancePurchased from Israel Sack, Inc., on October 23, 1968.