Collections: Decorative Arts: Dinner Fork, "Japanese Pattern"

Dinner Fork, "Japanese Pattern"

Maker: Holmes Booth & Haydens, 1853-1886
Medium: Silver-plate
Place Manufactured: Waterbury, Connecticut, USA
Dates: patented August 5, 1879
Dimensions: 7 1/8 x 1 x 1 in. (18.1 x 2.5 x 2.5 cm)
Markings: Stamped on back: "(illegible)" "HOLMES BOOTH & HAYDENS"
Signature: Unsigned
Inscriptions: no inscriptions
Collections:Decorative Arts
Museum Location: This item is on view in Brooklyn Museum, BMA, 6H2, 1J
Accession Number: 1989.66.5
Credit Line: Anonymous gift
Caption: Holmes Booth & Haydens (1853-1886). Dinner Fork, "Japanese Pattern," patented August 5, 1879. Silver-plate, 7 1/8 x 1 x 1 in. (18.1 x 2.5 x 2.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Anonymous gift, 1989.66.5. Creative Commons-BY-NC
Catalogue Description: Silver-plate with four straight tines. First third of handle is undecorated. Decoration begins with a molded narrow zigzag horizontal band, then two small triangles attached along one side bordered by narrow horizontal bands above and below. The main design is in the trapezoidal area and consists of an asymmetrical bamboo branch that diagonally divides the space. In the upper area towards the end of a handle is a molded butterfly. End of handle that has a gently arched contour with rounded shoulders has a zigzag band across the bottom and one above fitted into the gentle arch of the end of the handle, between are three parallel diagonal bands, the center one of zigzag design and the two outer ones with three florets in roundels. Reverse has similar decoration. In the large trapezoidal area is a molded bird on an asymmetrical leafy branch and stylized quarter sunburst in an upper quarter towards the handle. The three diagonal bands in the area near the end of the handle are missing. Japanese Pattern. Condition: Fair, due to wear of plate on heel of fork and back of tines and to the raised plant and animal motives on front and back and loss along edges of handle front and back.
Record Completeness: Meh (29%)
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