Collection
/
Decorative Arts and Design

Yachting Trophy

George W. Shiebler & Co.; Willis Polk

Brooklyn Museum photograph

Object Label

Works with a connection to Brooklyn are of particular interest to curators when they select objects for the collection. This trophy in the shape of a Spanish caravel (an early sailing ship) was presented by the Brooklyn Yacht Club to the winner of a regatta between New York and Marblehead, Massachusetts, in 1904 and follows in a long tradition of silver yachting trophies. It was made in the Brooklyn factory of George Shiebler & Company, and its design is based on a monument to Robert Louis Stevenson designed by Willis Polk in San Francisco. Made just after the turn of the century, the trophy looks backward to the elaborate revival designs of the 1800s rather than forward to the modernist works that surround it on the shelf.

Caption

George W. Shiebler & Co. (1876–1915); Willis Polk. Yachting Trophy, ca. 1904. Silver, 6 x 9 1/2 x 5 1/16 in. (15.3 x 24.1 x 12.8cm). Brooklyn Museum, Purchased with funds given by the Charles and Mildred Schnurmacher Foundation, Inc., 1998.91. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)

Title

Yachting Trophy

Date

ca. 1904

Medium

Silver

Classification

Commemorative

Dimensions

6 x 9 1/2 x 5 1/16 in. (15.3 x 24.1 x 12.8cm)

Markings

Impressed on bottom corner: "S [in winged circle] / STERLING"

Credit Line

Purchased with funds given by the Charles and Mildred Schnurmacher Foundation, Inc.

Accession Number

1998.91

Frequent Art Questions

  • Can you tell me more about this silver boat?

    That is actually a yachting trophy! This trophy in the shape of a Spanish caravel (an early sailing ship) was presented by the Brooklyn Yacht Club to the winner of the 1904 regatta between New York and Marblehead, Massachusetts. It follows in a long tradition of silver yachting trophies.The trophy was made in the Brooklyn factory of George Shiebler & Company, and its design is based on a monument to Robert Louis Stevenson in San Francisco. Made just after the turn of the century, the trophy looks backward to the elaborate revival designs of the 1800s rather than forward to the modernist works that surround it on the shelf.
    Oh really? It was on a display with a bunch of service ware so I thought it was something else.
    Yes! The Lucce visible storage area is packed, but creates some nice comparisons between works!

  • What is this?

    That piece is actually a yachting trophy. In the shape of a Spanish caravel (an early sailing ship), it was presented by the Brooklyn Yacht Club to the winner of a regatta between New York and Marblehead, Massachusetts, in 1904. It was made around the turn of the 20th century in a Brooklyn-based factory: George Shiebler & Company.

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Artists and makers

George W. Shiebler & Co.

5 works in the collection

Willis Polk

1 work in the collection