Cake Saw

Unknown

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The mid-nineteenth century witnessed an efflorescence of creativity in the American silver industry, fueled by the burgeoning middle class’s increasing demand for refined luxury goods. Silversmiths devoted considerable time and creative energy to generating an endless variety of new designs and patterns. During the 1860s and 1870s silver flatware ornamented with portrait medallions inspired by antique coins and cameos enjoyed widespread popularity, with virtually every American silversmith producing their own proprietary "medallion" pattern. Although this cake saw cannot be attributed to a specific silversmith, the maker was clearly skilled and inventive, creating a medallion pattern that substitutes a contemporary figure for the traditional portrait of an ancient god, goddess, or warrior. The scrolling floral and vegetal designs on the blade further contribute to the charm and appeal of this object, a specialized flatware form designed to cut and serve cake.

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