Gorham Sea-Life Pattern?

[Aguest]

Indeed, dragonflywink referenced a long line of entire Gorham "Sea-Life" motifs of which Narraganset was only one ::: So perhaps this falls into the "Sea-Life" category, although if it were Narragansett it would be nice to know ::: Probably just another one of the "Sea-Life" patterns that you see, many of which are mistaken for Narraganset but really I suppose they should be called "Sea-Life" :::

[dragonflywink]

Can't say I see a connection to Narragansett or related designs - any references I would have made to 'sea life' would have been regarding the applied cast elements in the form of seaweed, crabs, fish, etc., which could just as easily be referred to as 'ocean life' or 'marine life'. Narragansett was a Naturalistic pattern with a lot of hand work, no piece was exactly the same, and there is a particular look to those pieces - can't quite make out your date mark on my phone, but with the S-scrolls, wave motif, and plump lobed melon form, looks to me like circa 1890s Rococo revival...

~Cheryl

[Aguest]

sorry about that, I just thought the bright-cut design was sort of a seaweed and waves and oyster shell motif, similar to the pattern found inside the bowl of the Gorham Hizen Terrapin Fork and the bowl of the large Narragansett serving spoon that looks like an oyster shell ::: the date mark might be that mother and baby seal date mark of 1892, but it has been partially rubbed ::: I would love to see the teapot in this pattern :::

[dragonflywink]

Bit confused - the only engraving I see on this piece is the monogram...

~Cheryl

[Aguest]

The wave pattern on the top of the rim, that does look Rococo, it is a stylized regular-interval symbolic representation of waves ::: However, the vertical lines underneath that do still look naturalistic and somehow "of-the-sea" to me, really now that I think about it, it reminds me of the Baleen of a Whale:::



I haven't thought about Baleen in so long, it was in my unconscious mind, but this is what I believe it is :::: I could be wrong, and often I am, I realize this, and I always defer to the experts ::: If anyone has seen this tea-set, I would like to see the teapot and the sugar and the waste bowl :::

[Aguest]

Comparison:




Primarily I am focused on the vertical lines of the teapot :::

[Aguest]

The vertical lines are irregular and naturalistic, and if they were not bright-cut engraved into the side of the creamer, they must have been intentionally cast that way ::: also, notice the pattern from which they emanate, that pattern is also irregular and naturalistic and it really looks like seaweed or some sort of sea-creature's membrane to me :::

Maybe this is one of those times when you need the piece in-hand so it makes a better impression than the pics :::

[Aguest]

Similar hallmarks to a massive figural Ewer, perhaps evidence of being made in the "Custom Shop" department of Gorham?

Figural Ewer Hallmarks:

[dragonflywink]

See no evidence of this being a custom order, it bears typical Gorham marks from the late 19th century - their trademark, a production code, date code and quality mark. To my eye, this piece is very much Rococo-inspired, the S-curve is a typical decorative motif, the motif that reminds you of baleen is based on an incoming wave - Rococo could have naturalistic elements, often marine related (stylized shells, waves, etc.), but that doesn't make a piece like yours 'Naturalistic'. There is no bright-cut engraving, but there was probably some chasing to define the wave motif, and the S-curve lip looks like it may have been cast.

Not where I can run through any of my references, but can't recall seeing this pattern, not surprising given Gorham's prolific production - there is a pricey set of CDs with thousands of catalog images from 1880 to 1909, or you could have an archive search of the production number done, though there would be a charge. If you're particularly interested in Gorham, the first reference to read through would probably be Carpenter's 'Gorham Silver, 1831-1981'...

~Cheryl

[Aguest]

Excellent Information ::: Your knowledge is very much appreciated ::: I have read a few posts that refer to this expensive Gorham CD set, I would love to know more about it, as it would solve a few of the Gorham riddles out here ::::

I hope to find more pieces in this "pattern," and I assume it is part of a Tea Set that Gorham made :::