In the beginning of the 19th century, a period of distinction for the fine and decorative arts, wealthy citizens of southern American states adopted high-end English decorating trends. Decorative art and objects of silver were making their way directly through northern American cities by way of trade from England to help furnish the luxurious homes of the rich. These beautiful works were also the source of inspiration for local makers from northern states who sold their crafts on the domestic market.
The decorative arts during the early 1800s in Europe remained largely influenced by designs extracted from the arts and architectural designs of antiquity. The period of the Renaissance was effectively the starting point for a shift in focus towards naturalism and idealized representations of the human figure which continued through to the 19th century. The Regency style adopted from the 1790s to the 1830s was characterized by a deliberate move towards naturalistic design patterns in all the decorative arts, including objects made of silver. Among those English silversmiths known for their exemplary craftsmanship during this period in England was Paul Storr, born in 1771 in Westminster, England.
Storr was apprenticed to London-based silversmith Andrew Fogelberg in the mid 1780s. The Dessert Centerpieces which bear Paul Storr’s marks would have been crafted not long after he registered his first mark in 1792. After working for the firm of Rundell, Bridge & Rundell from around 1797, he put an end to his ties with them in 1820 and started his own firm in partnership with fellow London-based silversmith John Mortimer. The periodic fragility of their partnership meant the firm of Storr & Mortimer eventually declared bankruptcy and Storr left in 1838. He completely retired in 1839.
Characteristic of the masterful craftsmanship shown by Paul Storr and contemporaries of his stature is the articulate design and execution of sculptural details which can be seen above in the modelling of the elaborate foliage, the putti, and the lion on each centerpiece, for sale on the iGavel auction site, in true Neo-Classical fashion. Paul Storr’s years with Rundell, Bridge & Rundell were by many accounts the greatest of his career. It was the height of the Regency period, a time when London silversmiths combined artistic flair and technical brilliance to create some of the finest silver objects in England’s history.
American silversmiths such as Thomas Fletcher (pictured above) and Sidney Gardiner of Philadelphia spent time in London, Birmingham, and Paris to gather a sense of the fashionable designs, patterns, and tastes of the day. Fletcher & Gardiner were effectively the Rundell, Bridge & Rundell of North America. The North American dedication to all elements found in Neo-Classical art, architecture, and design was greatly apparent in Fletcher & Gardiner’s body of work. Their undivided attention to the study of contemporary European sources would prove visionary for the North American continent. The most important houses of Southern cities and plantations accumulated extensive amounts of decorative art objects which allowed them to live in great luxury. Their collections may now be seen in a number of regional museums such as The Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts in Winston-Salem, NC among many others.
