Thursday 13 October 2011Stories in Sterling: an enlightening survey of a remarkable collection
Stories in Sterling
To be published in May 2012 by D Giles Limited in association with The New-York Historical Society, Stories in Sterling: Four Centuries of Silver in New York is the first comprehensive survey of the New-York Historical Society’s world- renowned collection of some 3,000 pieces of early American silver, one of the finest in the United States.
This major reference book features 148 detailed entries on acknowledged masterpieces of American silver as well as previously unpublished treasures. All of the objects were made or owned in New York, although some of them originated as far afield as Amsterdam, Buenos Aires, and Canton. It features objects like the magnificent 1772 salver by New York City silversmith Lewis Fueter, to the simple teapot made for the Schuyler family by Albany silversmith Kiliaen Van Rensselaer in 1695 – one of the earliest teapots made in New York.
Seven thematic chapters consider silver from a range of perspectives: its reflection of the multiethnic character of colonial New York; the impact of industrialization on its manufacture and consumption; its role in honouring public achievement or marking rites of passage; and, finally, silver’s ability to express its owners’ social standing. An appendix provides a complete checklist of silver and related objects at the New-York Historical Society and an extensive listing of New York City silver makers and retailers. An essential volume for scholars, collectors, and enthusiasts, Stories in Sterling is a major contribution to the study of American silver and an important record of social, economic and political history from the 16th century to the present.
“Scholars and enthusiasts of silver, material culture, and New York history alike will welcome the fresh information, lively interpretation, and superb illustrations in this enlightening survey of the N-YHS collection.” Louise Mirrer, Foreword
The Authors
Margaret K. Hofer is curator of Decorative Arts at the New- York Historical Society, where she has organized numerous exhibitions, including A New Light on Tiffany (2007) which she co-authored. Debra Schmidt Bach is associate curator of Decorative Arts at the New-York Historical Society and the former Tiffany & Co. Foundation Research Fellow in American Silver. Kenneth L. Ames is professor of American Decorative Arts and Material Culture of the 18th and 19th Centuries at the Bard Graduate Center, New York. His publications include Decorative Arts and Household Furnishings in America, 1650–1920: A Bibliography (1989). David L. Barquist is The H. Richard Dietrich, Jr., Curator of American Decorative Arts at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. A scholar on colonial New York silver, he is the author of Myer Myers: Jewish Silversmith in Colonial New York (2001).
STORIES IN STERLING
Four Centuries of Silver in New York
Margaret K. Hofer with Debra Schmidt Bach
Essays by Kenneth L. Ames, David L. Barquist, Margaret K. Hofer
RRP US$69.95/UK£45.00
Hardback
ISBN 978-1-904832-65-2
352 pages
279 × 216 mm, (8½ x 11 in.), portrait
265 colour and 175 b & w illustrations
In association with the New-York Historical Society, New York
Publication date: May, 2012
Publisher: D Giles Limited, London
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