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 I'm a huge fan of Gorham
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| Author | Topic: I'm a huge fan of Gorham |
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asheland Posts: 935 |
posted 06-26-2015 09:57 AM
  
teasetz, I'm a huge fan of Gorham, they made some wonderful pieces indeed! Here's one of the Gorham pieces in my collection: It's a small piece but the work is top notch (all done by hand) I've found my favourite period by Gorham is the Aesthetic period (1880's) IP: Logged |
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teasetz Posts: 56 |
posted 06-26-2015 08:08 PM
What a lovely dish! I've never seen anything like it. I especially like hoe the leaves drape over the fish Do you know what it would be used for? Where did you find it? It has such a nice, soft glow. IP: Logged |
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asheland Posts: 935 |
posted 06-29-2015 10:20 AM
Hi teasetz! From what I've been told, it is an olive dish. I was very fortunate to have had a friend call me out of the blue and offer me the dish, apparently he found it at an antique shop and wanted to flip it. I am so glad he called me!  IP: Logged |
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teasetz Posts: 56 |
posted 06-29-2015 09:26 PM
Thanks for this thread! I am a fan, too, because of my set and also I have some strong connections to RI. I also like that it's American. When you live abroad I think you come to appreciate even more a few bits and pieces from home. How did you learn about Gorham and the different periods? Are there books you'd recommend? I love the story behind that pretty dish! IP: Logged |
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asheland Posts: 935 |
posted 06-30-2015 09:39 AM
Hey! Indeed there are a few books that cover Gorham. I'd recommend "Gorham Silver" by Charles Carpenter. It (might) be expensive, so shop around... I got my copy relatively cheap ($50 ish) And you're likely to find "Silver in America, a Century of Splendor" by Venable a good reference, too. There are others, but those two come to mind first. I've always liked Gorham from the start. Around my high school years I got into silver and haven't looked back! Gorham is just special. After seeing many examples of their work and the innovative designs you'll come to appreciate them even more. The 1860 to 1890 period is my favourite, but then there is the Martele line.. It's all great stuff! You will have fun with this hobby and this is a great website to be a member of! IP: Logged |
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teasetz Posts: 56 |
posted 07-01-2015 12:58 AM
I will look for the books. It will be something nice waiting for me when I get home in late July. Many thanks for the recommendations! My grandfather-in-law (is that a thing? My husband's grandfather?) was an antiques dealer down in GA. He passed away several years ago and when his wife passed most of the things they had went to auction save a couple special pieces. One piece, a colonial American break-front cabinet, came to my husband. It used to have a collection of spoons hanging in special slots between the upper and lower halves of the cabinet. Those, sadly, went to auction because my husband wasn't clear about what he wanted. My dream for some Christmas or birthday or anniversary is to get a set of spoons in there for him. I would love to find some Gorham for that project. I'm going to really take a good look at the books this summer and refine what I'm looking for and start searching in earnest! Have you been collecting long? IP: Logged |
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asheland Posts: 935 |
posted 07-01-2015 10:00 AM
Hey! 20 years I've been collecting (off and on) But retain all that experience. It's my favourite hobby by far. (I'm also interested in coins) To put a set of Gorham spoons together should be relatively easy (depending on what pattern) Some of their patterns are common, some are very scarce. You'll definitely have fun with that project! As for those books, you should find them very interesting. In my opinion they are two of the best titles on the subject. IP: Logged |
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Kimo Posts: 1627 |
posted 07-01-2015 12:54 PM
Oh my! I really like your fish dish. The placement of the fish on top of some of the water grasses and behind others gives it a more 3-D look of the fish swimming through the water grass. I am sure it makes a great olive dish, but my initial thought is that perhaps it was originally meant to be used in some kind of a fish course during the meal? It is too small to be a platter of course, but perhaps it was used for some kind of condiment or seasoning for a fish course? Perhaps something like lemon wedges, or tartar sauce or a relish made of chopped vegetables and herbs, or ? IP: Logged |
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asheland Posts: 935 |
posted 07-01-2015 02:00 PM
All of those suggestions are indeed possible. I was told by a dealer it's an olive dish, but I truthfully don't know for sure. It does have that watery look with the hammering and seaweed. Gorham and Tiffany both made some great examples like this. When I bought the piece I knew I better hang on to it as there aren't many examples of this work available on the market. I hope to find other pieces in the future! IP: Logged |
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ellabee Posts: 306 |
posted 07-01-2015 04:24 PM
@teasetz and anyone reading: Inter-library loan is a great way to get silver knowledge from increasingly scarce and expensive books like Venable's and the Gorham book. IP: Logged |
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teasetz Posts: 56 |
posted 07-02-2015 08:38 AM
ellabee - I would never have thought of that! Thanks for the suggestion. It's been non-stop here with an impromptu trip to India thrown in, so my set still sits on the glasses cabinet. But, rainy season has set it making it cool enough for hot tea again, so I'm hoping to get it going. I've bought a variety of sizes of soft brushes and bottle brushes to clean the insides. Do any of you have a Gorham wish list? Like, if price and impediments like being part of a museum collection weren't objects, what piece or pieces would you most like to have? I have a fantasy tea set with china and am now looking forward to conjuring up my fantasy Gorham collection! IP: Logged |
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Scott Martin Forum Master Posts: 11520 |
posted 07-02-2015 09:11 AM
Collectors don't have time for fantasies because they are too busy suffering with delayed gratification.  IP: Logged |
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asheland Posts: 935 |
posted 07-02-2015 09:54 AM
Actually, I (need) a piece of Naragansett by Gorham. And a few more pieces of Lady's and Birds Nest wouldn't bother me either... [Internet search] those patterns: They are super cool! (and expensive) lol ---- moderator edit ---- Most wanted posts should be placed in: This response is OK but this thread (depending on how it develops) might have to move. ------------------------ IP: Logged |
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Polly Posts: 1970 |
posted 07-02-2015 06:15 PM
I love Gorham too, especially their figural and aesthetic stuff from the 1860s-1880s. I have several gloriously hilarious tea sets: Your is more elegant, Teasetz; mine are silly, and so am I, so they suit me well. IP: Logged |
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teasetz Posts: 56 |
posted 07-02-2015 10:24 PM
Scott - that makes sense!  asheland - I will search those patterns. I used to live right on the Naragansett. Such a lovely place! Polly - those are glorious! I mean, who would possibly have come up with such things? Do you use them? ellabee - any chance you might post a pic of the brass kettle? I am so curious to see it! IP: Logged |
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asheland Posts: 935 |
posted 07-03-2015 09:35 AM
Polly, those pieces are crazy cool! As for my want list, those are just things I'd like to get in the distant future... The (need) part was just being funny. IP: Logged |
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Polly Posts: 1970 |
posted 07-04-2015 09:40 PM
Thanks, Teasetz and Asheland. Yes, I do use them. The insulators don't do a great job, and the nonmetal part of the handle of the bird-footed teapot is small enough that it's very hard to hold that teapot without touching the silver and burning yourself, so you really need a potholder. For that reason nowadays my go-to teapot is a Federal-era coin silver one by I.W. Forbes. It has a wooden handle, so it doesn't burn the hand. And it's deeply, deeply hilarious, with lion paws, a beastie-faced spout, a sea-monster handle, and a lion or dog finial--in its own way, it's even sillier than the Gorham ones. It has a more folk-arty feel, which is naively hilarious; the Gorham ones have the hilariousness of high-Victorian pomposity. I love how they're so sophisticated and well made, yet so very silly. (I thought I posted photos of the Forbes teapot somewhere, but I can't seem to find them with the search function, and it's not actually relevant to this thread, not being by Gorham, so I will take some photos tomorrow and post them on another thread.) When I'm serving more than one kind of tea, or just in the mood for bird feet or gargoyles, I use the Gorham teapots. (I have too many teapots. It's embarrassing.) [This message has been edited by Polly (edited 07-04-2015).] IP: Logged |
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teasetz Posts: 56 |
posted 07-05-2015 08:04 AM
I'm struggling with this sentence:
quote: I understand all the words, just not in that order. ;D Can one ever really have too many teapots? How funny and oddly charming that their function is a secondary concern to their form. I was actually going to comment about how elegant and understated the wee insulators are. I'm sorry to hear they don't work as well as you'd hope. Still, when a pot looks like those they hardly need to do much more! I'm dying to use mine but keep getting hung up about the wood. I don't want to wash them for use until I know how to handle the wood. I see some advice online, but I cannot get any of the suggested products until I return home. I'm missing the cool rainy season window in which drinking hot tea is possible. The rest of the summer through to October is beastly hot and humid. Have any of you ever contacted Gorham about any of your pieces! I so want to know what my pattern is called. IP: Logged |
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Polly Posts: 1970 |
posted 07-05-2015 12:50 PM
Asheland, will you post a photo of the gorgeous tray in this thread that matches your dish? Look for the best. Don't let it be scrapped ! IP: Logged |
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Polly Posts: 1970 |
posted 07-05-2015 01:49 PM
FYI, I posted photos of the Forbes teapot discussed above on this thread: I.W. Forbes tea set IP: Logged |
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asheland Posts: 935 |
posted 07-06-2015 09:47 AM
Polly, I'd be happy to post those pictures! IP: Logged |
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asheland Posts: 935 |
posted 07-06-2015 09:49 AM
 This piece also dates to 1883. They really cranked out some great stuff that year! IP: Logged |
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Polly Posts: 1970 |
posted 07-06-2015 11:43 AM
I love that tray so much! Any chance of a closer look at the monogram and whatever that critter is in the center? IP: Logged |
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asheland Posts: 935 |
posted 07-06-2015 12:05 PM
Thank you Polly! I plan to take more pictures at some point, but this piece is tucked away at the moment.  Next time it's out, I'll get more pics! I can say this about it, it has two crabs and they look like they could continue to walk at any moment! It's so realistic!!! And on the other corner there is a bug and if you look closely, the one fish over there is going towards it! This is by far the best piece of silver I've ever owned! And from what I could see when I carefully examined it, it's entirely hand made, including appearing to have been hand raised! IP: Logged |
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Polly Posts: 1970 |
posted 07-06-2015 12:46 PM
It really is spectacular. What a treasure! IP: Logged |
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asheland Posts: 935 |
posted 07-06-2015 01:54 PM
Thanks! IP: Logged |
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teasetz Posts: 56 |
posted 07-07-2015 04:37 AM
Yes, what a treasure! And I cannot believe how you came to have it! I see by the linked thread that a lot of old pieces are lost to melting. I've never heard of this before since I'm not familiar with the field. Are these scrap containers something anyone can pick through? I would love to see what the whole set looked like. These two pieces alone are so very pretty. IP: Logged |
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Kimo Posts: 1627 |
posted 07-07-2015 07:37 AM
When that thread was written in 2011 the price of silver bullion - just the raw metal as a metal - was at a very high level. That bubble has been deflating ever since and it is now about 300 percent lower than it was at that 2011 high point. Because silver was so high, many people were frantic in running to their attics and silver cupboards and safe deposit boxes and backs of shelfs in their closets or such and pulling out their inherited silver and cashing in on the prices by selling all of their silver to scrappers who were melting it down into silver ingots to sell on the metal bullion market. In the craziness of that moment in time there were many exceptionally artistic and rare pieces of silver being sent off to the melting furnaces of the scrappers for their silver bullion value alone. Some people who really loved the beauty of old silver for its beauty alone were trying to find and rescue the best pieces from out of the scrappers storage bins before they made it to the melting pots by offering the scrappers enough of a profit to make it worth their while to let such people rummage through their storage bins and pull out such objects. Not all scrappers wanted to bother with such rescues since they were making their money by moving large volumes and they did not want to slow their process of buying and melting as fast as they could so sweet talking and offering a big enough profit incentive to them was often needed. With the bubble in silver prices mostly deflated now there is not so much frantic selling of old silver for its silver bullion value anymore so it would be less commong to be successful in such rescuing. Also, there is not so much selling off of the old family silver as the overall economy has improved to the point where such desperation is no longer widespread. Scrappers today also want to melt anything they buy as fast as they can since the price of silver bullion is continuing to drift downward and every penny the price drops means less profit for them so they have an incentive not to hold onto anything for rescuers to come in and see. IP: Logged |
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asheland Posts: 935 |
posted 07-07-2015 09:57 AM
Kimo pretty well covered it! At the time I got that piece (2012), I was working at a coin shop and it came in with a bunch of other sterling (the rest was run-of-the-mill) And the owner of the shop let me have the piece for the same rate as the melter would have paid. So I actually got this piece about 10% below melt price! While I was at that particular shop, I had pretty much first dibs on anything that came in like that. But that was the only really nice piece that came in while I worked there. I was at the right place at the right time! IP: Logged |
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teasetz Posts: 56 |
posted 07-07-2015 10:24 AM
Thanks for the history lesson, Kimo! I have so much to learn about silver, the silver market and collecting. I appreciate detailed background very much! asheland - what an amazing stroke of luck both for you and the tray! I'm glad it was rescued to be cherished and shared. The thought of it being melted is so sad. I've been searching on the internet for Gorham patterns and having a fun romp through the various on-line catalogs. Such fun even if I can't buy right now! IP: Logged |
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asheland Posts: 935 |
posted 07-07-2015 10:41 AM
That's great! There is a lot to learn, and what fun it will be. The Gorham patterns from the late 1850's to 1880's are so interesting! You will see soon enough! IP: Logged |
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