The Gorham Manufacturing Co. silver in the Royal Household: Its commission and contexts of use at the table

Abstract

Following the research we have been conducting on Queen Maria Pia’s (1847-1911) taste for goldsmithing production, as evidenced by the silver pieces she acquired from the American firm Gorham Manufacturing Co. in the 1880s, we now present, as a continuation of this investigation, a study of the objects that comprise the commission, with particular emphasis on those related to the table.

Our aim is to examine these objects in relation to contemporary documentation, particularly that concerning the commission, its shipment, and the corresponding administrative procedures carried out by the Household of Her Majesty the Queen. We shall also refer to several historical episodes in which this silverware, while constituting the sovereign’s private property, was employed in the service of the Royal Household for the reception of distinguished guests, and we document aspects of its manufacture within Gorham’s workshops.

Deciphering the essence of these singular objects, exploring the circumstances that may explain the curious absence of some pieces, and contextualising the artistic and utilitarian significance of this commission within Royal Household settings during the final years of the monarchy were the aims of this study.

This research, grounded in detailed knowledge of the objects, in the interpretation of extensive contemporary documentation, and in specialised bibliography, benefited from a research grant at the Gorham Manufacturing Company Archive, held at the John Hay Library, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA, awarded by the Luso-American Foundation for Development in 2010.