Gorham "Shell & Gadroon" Silverplate 6-Piece Tea & Coffee Service With Footed Tray

Details

Description

A handsome and complete six-piece tea and coffee service by Gorham in the "Shell & Gadroon" pattern, silverplate. This is … Read more A handsome and complete six-piece tea and coffee service by Gorham in the "Shell & Gadroon" pattern, silverplate. This is one of Gorham's most recognizable hollowware lines, executed here across a full service: every piece is finished with a gadrooned (fluted, rope-twist) border punctuated by cast shell and acanthus-leaf motifs at the handle terminals and lid rims, with bodies in a softly paneled melon form raised on stepped, gadroon-edged feet. The pieces carry generous scroll handles and matching urn finials, giving the set a formal, cohesive Georgian-revival look.

The large oval serving tray anchors the service. It repeats the same gadroon-and-shell border on its rolled rim, is raised on four decorative feet, and carries substantial pierced scroll handles at each end. The tray's well is embellished with a beautifully hand-chased rococo pattern of scrolls, roses, and floral sprays radiating from a central medallion — left blank of any monogram, so the set is ready to use or personalize as the next owner wishes.

The silverplate throughout has clearly been well cared for, presenting with a bright, mirror-like polish, and the service comes with its original Pacific Silver Cloth anti-tarnish storage pouches and tray cover — a nice indication of an owner who stored and maintained it properly. This is a substantial, formal set equally at home in daily use, on a dining-room sideboard, or styled as a statement piece on a bar cart or console.

What's included (6 pieces):

Coffee pot with hinged lid
Teapot with hinged lid
Covered sugar bowl
Creamer / milk jug
Open waste (slop) bowl
Large footed oval two-handled serving tray with chased rococo center medallion
Original anti-tarnish storage pouches and tray cover (bonus)

Maker & pattern: Gorham Silver Co., "Shell & Gadroon" pattern, silverplate (EPNS).

Condition: Very good vintage condition with a bright, recently-polished finish. As with any vintage silverplate, expect minor age-appropriate wear in hard-to-reach areas (hinge joints, undersides of handles); none reads as damage in the photos.

Coffee pot (Y1100) — the tallest piece, an elegant baluster/pear form on a stepped foot, with a slender swan-neck spout, high-scroll handle, and gadroon-edged hinged lid topped by an urn finial. 9.5" H x 10.25" W x 4" D.

Teapot (Y1102) — lower and rounder than the coffee pot, a squat melon-paneled body with the same shell-and-gadroon lid, urn finial, and scroll handle. 7" H x 10.625" W x 4.625" D.

Covered sugar bowl (Y1105) — a two-handled lidded bowl echoing the teapot's paneled form, with a domed shell-bordered lid and urn finial. 5.875" H x 5.25" L x 3.875" W.

Creamer / milk jug (Y1104) — an open pitcher with a high shaped pouring lip, gadroon-edged rim, and single scroll handle, on a matching stepped foot. 5.25" H x 5.875" W x 3.25" D.

Open waste (slop) bowl (Y1103) — a low, wide open bowl in the paneled body with gadroon-and-shell rim; used in traditional service for discarding cold tea/dregs, and equally useful as a small open sugar or catch-all. 3.5" H x 5.25" L x 4" D.

Footed serving tray (Y1107) — the showpiece: a large oval tray raised on four feet, with a heavy gadroon-and-shell cast border, pierced scroll end-handles, and an elaborately hand-chased rococo floral center. 28.25" L x 17.25" W (handle to handle). See less