Cream Pot
Dateca. 1810
Marked by
Charles Alexander Burnett
1769 - 1849
MediumSilver
DimensionsOH: 5 3/4"; OW: 5 1/2"; OD: 2 3/4"
Credit LineMuseum Purchase, The Friends of Colonial Williamsburg Collections Fund
Object number2013-144,3
DescriptionCream pot: Raised oval urn-shaped body chased into 8 vertical panels on a stepped oval spreading foot; upper body chased onto wide and narrow horizontal bands; high neck with flared protruding lip, and applied horizontal bands around the edge; back raises to meet handle with leaf and drop ornamentation on the inside. Angular strap handle with applied sprig at midpoint. Label TextCharles Alexander Burnett was the most prolific and important silversmith in the vicinity of the new nation’s seat of government, first working in Fredericksburg, Virginia (1788-1793), then Alexandria, Virginia (1793-ca. 1796), and finally Georgetown, DC (1796-ca. 1840). His clientele included members of Washington society, politicians and presidents. This teaset made in Alexandria is in Burnett’s earlier, more restrained neoclassical style; it has a family history of ownership by Mary Randolph of Virginia whose initials are engraved on three of the four pieces.
Inscription(s)Engraved with a vacant floral festooned cartouche on proper right sideMark(s)C•A•BURNETT in rectangle inside base, with eagle's head inside of footProvenanceAccording to the vendor, the teaset has a family history of ownership by Mary Randolph of Amelia Courthouse and the Tabb family of Gloucester County, Virginia.
