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Newsletter - Spring 2003
Acquisitions

Alumnae Donors Add Luster to Collection

Along with the changes in artistic taste that occur over time, the boundaries of what is considered "fine art" can also fluctuate. In recent decades, the decorative arts have become increasingly important in the teaching of art history and visual studies. This upsurge in interest has been paralleled by changes in ways the museums collect and display works of art. No longer thought of as the "minor arts" as they were once called, ceramics, silver, furniture, and other such objects are now recognized as significant expressions of artistic achievement and are proudly displayed with paintings and sculpture. The Mount Holyoke College Art Museum has nurtured its growing collection of decorative arts from both Eastern and Western cultures in an effort to introduce students and other visitors to this rich aspect of the world of art.

This spring's show Recent Acquisitions and Promised Gifts features several remarkable works in silver that have entered the collection, thanks to the generosity of two alumnae. Renee Scialom Cary '48, a member of the
museum's Art Advisory Board and donor of the museum's gallery for 17th- and 18th-century art, has presented an important Georgian coffee pot, a punch ladle, and a pair of gilt-silver berry spoons. Made in 1783-84 by the British
silversmith Richard Crossley, the spoons originally were plain in design. Around 1850 they were refashioned into berry spoons, decorated with repoussé fruits and leaves in the Victorian style of the time. By engraving the handles with ornate scrolls and foliage and gilding the bowls, the spoons became a fashionable statement of decorative art in this later period. The curvaceous, pear-shaped coffee pot, made in 1761-62 by an unknown maker who used the mark "BM," exemplifies a form popular early in the reign of George III. The elegant punch ladle was created in 1746-47 by Jacob Marsh of London during King George II's rule. Its twisted handle is made from whale baleen, a sturdy and elegant material popular with silvermakers in the 18th century.

Also on view is a spectacular silver tea or hot-water urn given to the museum by Irene Gillette Steiner '35 and her husband George. Made by the distinguished partners John Parker and Edward Wakelin in 1768-69, the urn is embellished with the Harney family coat of arms and motto. Hidden within its silver body is a metal tube into which a heated cast iron rod was placed to keep tea or water hot. The spigot allowed the server to dispense the contents without lifting or tilting the heavy kettle.

Both the Steiner urn and Cary pot are evidence of a revolution in drinking habits that took place in the 17th century as tea, coffee, and chocolate were introduced to the West. These exotic beverages were brought to England and the Continent from foreign lands as luxury items for the wealthy. As they grew in popularity in the 18th-century, trade increased and prices fell, allowing people of other classes to partake in them as well. This change in dining customs had an enormous impact on silversmiths, who seized the opportunity to invent forms for the consumption of these new beverages.