Right, Paul Revere, Jr., Cann, c. 1775, silver, Clark Art Institute, bequest of Henry Morris and Elizabeth H Burrows; above, a view inside the Henry Morris and Elizabeth H. Burrows Gallery Installation at the Clark.
When Paul Revere, Jr. got the call to saddle up on April 18, 1775, to warn colonial militias of approaching British troops, it was around the time when he was forging the silver cann that’ s on display at the Henry Morris and Elizabeth H. Burrows Gallery at the Clark Art Institute.
The signed pear-shaped mug represents an elevated drinking experience for Revere’ s wealthy patrons. It is one of a handful of items in the Burrows Gallery labeled“ MA250,” indicating a direct connection to the Commonwealth’ s role in the American Revolution.
“ Through silver, furniture, and oil portraits, we are able to tell the stories of craftspeople, merchants, military leaders, and political figures, among others, who contributed to Massachusetts’ vital role in the fight for independence,” says the Clark Hardymon Director Olivier Meslay.
“ Silver is fantastic in terms of being able to trace ownership,” adds Alexis Goodin, newly appointed Curator of Decorative Arts.“ It was often customary to engrave somebody’ s name, initials, or coat of arms on a piece of silver they commissioned or were given. When a piece moved from one generation to the next, sometimes the family would engrave the piece with the names of the successive owners, giving us a wonderful lineage of ownership.”
The Burrows Gallery is located on the upper level of the Clark’ s Manton Research
Center. Its tucked-away location belies the treasures it holds. Each one of the more than 300 pieces on display were created and used from the late 17th century through the middle of the 19th century, many in the decades just before and after the American Revolution.
Six items in particular were made or used in Massachusetts during this critical time and have been singled out with a MA250 label.
You can learn more about the significance of these pieces and others in the gallery at a series of talks entitled“ American Revolutionaries.”
The first is on April 1, when Goodin presents“ Paul Revere, Silversmith and Patriot.” She will discuss silver crafted by Paul Revere, Jr. and his father, from whom he learned the craft and took over the family business in 1757. Goodin also will explore Revere’ s prominent role in the American Revolution.
On April 8, Oliver Hess, a student in the Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art, will talk about“ George Washington, American Icon.” Hess will trace the public’ s fascination
with Washington’ s likeness— from formal portraits made during his life to the explosion of mourning imagery after his death. In looking at paintings, print culture, funerary porcelain, and other objects, Hess will reveal how a new nation’ s unified grief and patriotic fervor created a market for an early American icon.
Goodin returns on April 15 to present“ Tea, Sociability, and Revolution,” exploring works of silver and furniture, as well as the importance of tea in the daily life of Colonial Americans. Special attention will be paid to women who helped organize a boycott of the beverage after the British government imposed the Tea Act of 1773.
With post-graduate degrees from both Williams College and Brown University in the History of Art, Goodin’ s expertise covers a wide range— from Colonial American silver to 19th century British paintings, both amply represented in the Burrows Gallery, along with furniture from that era. While not every piece is directly related to Revolutionary America, they all offer clues about our ancestors. Goodin’ s interest was piqued by a chair in the collection, ca. 1755-1760; her research
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