#8188 • $6,500+ Five-Piece American Sterling Silver Tea and Coffee Service, Gorham Manufacturing Co., Providence, RI, Mid-20th Century

Part of $2.8 Million McLean Mansion Luxury Downsizing Auction (timed auction by Prime Auction Solutions)

Status: Sold

A distinguished five-piece sterling silver tea and coffee service bearing the marks of the Gorham Manufacturing Company, Providence, Rhode Island — one of America's most celebrated silversmiths and the nation's largest producer of sterling silver hollowware through much of the 20th century. The service comprises a tall coffee pot, a teapot with characteristic long curved spout, a covered sugar bowl, a creamer, and an open two-handled waste bowl — the complete formal service for elegant entertaining. Each piece is executed in a restrained neoclassical idiom, the bodies formed as graceful urns or ovoid vessels set atop circular stepped pedestal bases, with elegant serpentine scroll handles and domed lids surmounted by pointed urn finials. A clean horizontal band encircles the shoulder of each piece, providing understated visual structure without ornamental excess — a design sensibility characteristic of Gorham's refined mid-century output. The creamer bears a gilt-washed interior, as is traditional for the form, providing a warm counterpoint to the high-polish mirror finish that animates every surface. All pieces display bright, reflective silver in excellent presentable condition consistent with age and careful keeping. The underside of the creamer is stamped with Gorham's maker's cartouche, STERLING, pattern number A11954, and capacity "3/4 PINT" — Gorham's standard hollowware marking convention used throughout the mid-20th century. Gorham's standing as a premier American silversmith — supplier to the Lincoln and Nixon White Houses, among others — lends institutional prestige to any service bearing their mark. As a five-piece matching set in sterling silver with no visible damage, repairs, or monograms noted, this service presents exceptionally well for display or active use, and represents a significant weight of fine metal in a form that transcends commodity value. Five pieces. Sterling silver. Creamer with gilt interior. Pattern A11954. Maker: Gorham Manufacturing Company, Providence, RI. Circa mid-20th century. Size: 10 x 10" and smaller Weight: Tray sold in another lot and not included