Images(8)

Coffeepot 2015-349 with hand to show scale

Coffeepot

Date1810-1815

Marked by William L. Campbell (1787 - 1815)

OriginAmerica, Virginia, Winchester

MediumSilver; wood

DimensionsOH: 11 11/16"; OW (including handle and spout): 14 7/8": OW (across body): 6 1/4"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase, The Friends of Colonial Williamsburg Collections Fund

Object number2015-349

DescriptionCoffeepot: Stepped oval base with narrow neck supports oval boat-shaped body with narrow mellon-reeded lower half and large bulging horizontal band beneath incurving shoulder with narrow gadrooned border. Hinged high domed lid with compressed urn-shaped finial with gadrooning. S-shaped spout with oval leaf detail at tip and pierced juncture to body. Old C-shaped wooden handle; possibly original, with saddle-shaped pad at apex and traces of ebonized surface treatment. Scratched weight “XXXXIV oz.” on underside of foot.
Label TextSilver by craftsmen working in the Valley of Virginia is rare and most often consists of small items such as beakers, spoons, sugar tongs, and ladles. This 1810-1815 coffeepot by William L. Campbell is both of early date and exceptional size. Rarer still, the coffeepot appears to retain its original wooden handle. Other surviving silver in this pattern and scale by Campbell include a teapot, a waste or slop bowl and two sugar dishes, suggesting that more than one tea/coffee set was produced. His output also included beakers, a communion set, and a salver or tray. Flatware from William L. Campbell’s shop was most often marked in relief with his initials “WLC” while larger forms were more typically struck with the script “Campbell” mark found on this coffeepot.
InscribedScratched weight “XXXXIV oz.” on underside of foot
MarkingsMarked in relief in rectangle once on each side of foot "Campbell" in script (marks are rubbed but legible)

Exhibition(s)