Teaspoon
Maker
Benjamin Smith Barton
(1766 - 1815)
MediumSilver
DimensionsOL: 5 3/4" ; OW: 1 1/8"
Credit LineGift of Robert F. Grossman
Object number2008-160
DescriptionSilver teaspoon with oval bowl, pointed shoulder, and fiddle handle with "JMC" engraved in feathered script.Label TextTeaspoons were often the first silver objects acquired by aspiring middle class householders in the 18th and 19th centuries. These examples were produced in the shops of three successful silversmiths working in Alexandria, Virginia, a bustling Federal-era river port. Benjamin Barton, born and trained in England, arrived in Alexandria in 1801. Adam Lynn and John Adam were both born in Alexandria about 1775 and likely trained there. All three had long and successful careers.
*Text relates to 2008-161 and 2008-162, exhibited together
Inscribed"JMC" engraved in feathered script on the handle.
Markings"B. BARTON." in relief within a rectangle.
ProvenanceFaison House Antiques, Jackson, NC.
Exhibition(s)
1806-1814 or 1818-1821 (probably)
1814-1845
ca. 1810
ca. 1825
1826-1827
1818-1845
ca. 1780-1810
ca. 1840
1815-1830