Pitcher

Ball, Black & Co.

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

American silver holloware in the Egyptian Revival style is extremely rare. This stately pitcher incorporates Egyptian motifs into a classic form. The dynamic composition achieves a sophisticated expression of the prevailing taste for Egyptian-inspired designs. At the time this pitcher was created, the German-trained silversmith John Rudolph Wendt was Ball, Black & Co.’s primary designer and supplier, and the pitcher exemplifies the outstanding quality for which he is known. Located in a grand marble building boasting large display windows facing Broadway, Ball, Black & Co. was a leading silver retailer and a popular destination for shoppers and window shoppers alike.

The American Wing

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The American Wing's ever-evolving collection comprises some 20,000 works of art by African American, Euro American, Latin American, and Native American men and women. Ranging from the colonial to early-modern periods, the holdings include painting, sculpture, works on paper, and decorative arts—including furniture, textiles, ceramics, glass, silver, metalwork, jewelry, basketry, quill and bead embroidery—as well as historical interiors and architectural fragments.

Metropolitan Museum of Art