Chafing Dish
Thomas Dane, Ipswich and Boston, Massachusetts, American, 1726 - 1795
about 1750
Silver and wood
Overall: 13 3/8 × 3 1/2 in. (34 × 8.9 cm)
Rim: 6 3/8 in. (16.2 cm)
Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth: Gift of Louise C. and Frank L. Harrington, Class of 1924
M.970.68
Geography
Place Made: United States, North America
Period
1600-1800
Object Name
Tools and Equipment: Food Service
Research Area
Decorative Arts
Not on view
Inscriptions
Marked on bottom: T:DANE [in long oval]; engraved on bottom: oz / 19=8 0; scratched on bottom: 20 oz 6 Pwt; scratched on bottom: G 233.4.
Label
Silver chafing dishes, or braziers, were used to keep food hot by means of a bed of coals contained in the bottom well, and they were often made in pairs. The elaborate piercings that allowed the heat to escape also serve as design elements in these exceptionally ornate pieces reflective of refined dining practices.
From the 2019 exhibition American Art, Colonial to Modern, curated by Barbara J. MacAdam, Jonathan L. Cohen Curator of American Art
Course History
HIST 9.01, America: From Invasion to Independence, Paul Musselwhite, Fall 2019
HIST 5.14, Americas: Invasion to Independence, Paul Musselwhite and Ernesto Mercadeo-Montero, Fall 2022
Exhibition History
American Art at Dartmouth: Highlights from the Hood Museum of Art, William B. Jaffe and Evelyn A. Jaffe Hall Galleries, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, June 9-December 9, 2007.
American Art, Colonial to Modern, Israel Sack Gallery and Rush Family Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, January 26, 2019-September 12, 2021.
American Arts of the 18th Century, Colby College Art Museum, Waterville, Maine, August 7-September 30, 1967.
American Decorative Art, Dartmouth College Museum and Galleries, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, January 10-March 1, 1981, no. 12.
American Silver, Barrows Print Room, Hopkins Center Art Galleries, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, Septembber 27-November 3, 1974.
Colonial Days, Brick Store Museum, Kennebunkport, Maine, July 30-August 3, 1963.
Ellis Memorial Antiques Show, Paul Revere Life Insurance Company's Paul Revere Collection, Worcester, Massachusetts, October 30-November 4, 1961.
Harrington Silver Case, Hopkins Center, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, August 12, 2009-present.
Harrington Silver Case, Hopkins Center, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, February 4-June 1, 1977.
Harrington Silver Case, Hopkins Center, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, July 25, 1997-November 6, 2006.
Harrington Silver Case, Hopkins Center, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, June 1-30, 1964.
Harrington Silver Case, Hopkins Center, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, June 2-October 11, 1978.
New England Silver at Dartmouth College: A Tribute to Frank L. Harrington, Class of 1924, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, June 3-August 20, 1989, no. 23.
The New England Silversmith, Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, Rhode Island, October 23-November 28, 1965.
The Rococo Style in New England Silver, Harrington Silver Case, Hopkins Center, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, July 13, 2012.
Publication History
Barbara J. MacAdam, New England Silver at Dartmouth College: A Tribute to Frank L. Harrington, Class of 1924, Hanover, New Hampshire: Trustees of Dartmouth College, 1989, no. 23.
Margaret J. Moody, American Decorative Arts at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire: Trustees of Dartmouth College, 1981, no. 12.
Colby College Art Museum, American Arts of the 18th Century, Boston, Massachusetts: Thomas Todd Company, July 1967, E 13.
Kathryn C. Buhler, Massachusetts Silver in the Frank L. and Louise C. Harrington Collection, Worcester, Massachusetts: Barre Publishers, 1965, p. 75-76, ill. p. 77.
Hugh J. Gourley, The New England Silversmith, Providence, Rhode Island: Rhode Island School of Design, 1965, ill. fig. 42, no. 59.
Patricia E. Kane, Colonial Massachusetts Silversmiths and Jewlers, Hanover: University Press of New England, p. 363-365, 1998.
Barbara J. MacAdam, American Art at Dartmouth: Highlights from the Hood Muesum of Art, Hanover: Trustees of Dartmouth College, 2007, p. 188, no. 157.
Provenance
Original owner was probably Colonel Nathaniel Meserve (1704-1758); by descent in the family; sold through Robert Ensko, Inc, New York, New York; sold to Frank L. Harrington, Sr. (1902-1988) and Louise Cronin Harrington (1904-2000), Worcester, Massachusetts, November 18, 1960; given to present collection, 1969.
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