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Eagle's Nest Soup Ladle

Dateca. 1807-1819

Maker John Gaither ((1786-1819))

OriginAmerica, District of Columbia, Washington or Virginia, Alexandria

MediumSilver

DimensionsOverall: 13 3/4"; Diameter of bowl: 3 3/8"; Depth of bowl: 1 1/8"

Credit LineGift of Lisa Grazioli Long in memory of her grandfather, James Irwin Newton, Jr.

Object number2022-73

DescriptionSoup ladle with a long, downturned, plain handle with a slight medial ridge down the back. The stem meets the hemispherical bowl with a double drop on the back.
Label TextOf a common form, this ladle is exceptional in that it carries an ownership inscription from a prominent Virginia estate. Eagle’s Nest, once a 54,000-acre plantation in King George County, VA, was the seat of the Fitzhugh family. The ladle descended directly to the donor, whose great-great grandmother was raised there.

John Gaither, this ladle's maker, came from a large and successful family which lent their name to Gaithersburg, Maryland. First practicing the silversmithing trade in Alexandria with his partner and cousin Greenberry Griffith, Gaither left Virginia for Washington, D.C. in 1812, where he dabbled in the jewelry and watch trade too.
InscribedTop of handle engraved "E" over "NEST" in block capitals.
MarkingsBack of handle struck twice with "J.GAITHER" in relief within a rectangle with a shaded background (Hollan, Mark a).