Dish
Date1768-1778
Maker
John Townsend & Thomas Giffin
OriginEngland, London
MediumPewter
DimensionsOH: 1 13/16"; OW (rim): 1 1/2"; Diam: 12"
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Object number1995-90
DescriptionCast with hammered booge; circular with flat inclined rim of moderate width with plain edge on face and broad single bead on under side; deep convex booge to flat base with inscribed circle on face; opposite sides of rim deeply engraved with inscriptions in script with ornamented first letters "In {foliate pinwheel} Shepherds Town {foliate pinwheel} Anno Domine 1782" and "Hanna {prancing deer} Feeshel" separated on either side by long cartouches outlined with zigzag borders and containing voluted and ruffled C- scrolls at ends with foliated scrolls extending inward and outward at ends.Label TextThis dish was boldly engraved in 1782 for Hanna Feeshel of Shepherdstown, Virginia (now West Virginia). The design and execution of the deeply cut engraved decoration strongly suggest the work of a local gunsmith, who transformed this English dish into a highly individual piece of pewter from the Virginia backcountry. Originally an undecorated serving vessel fabricated from an inexpensive material, this large dish is typical of those made in quantity by London pewterers specializing in the export trade to the American colonies. Little is known of Hanna Feeshel (or Fishell), who was most likely a member of the large Germanic community living in and around Shepherdstown in the upper Potomac River Valley.Inscription(s)Face of rim deeply engraved in script with ornamented first letters "Hanna [prancing deer] Feeshel" and "In [foliate pinwheel] Shepherds Town [foliate pinwheel] Anno Domine 1782" separated on either side by long cartouches outlined with zigzag borders and containing voluted and ruffled C-scrolls at ends with extending foliated scrolls.Mark(s)Touch marks (1) a lamb passant with dove with an olive branch in its bill flying above framed by "IOHN" in a curved reserve above, "17" to the left and "48" to the right, and "TOWNSEND" within a curved reserve below and (2) a crown over a heart pierced by a sword with three mullets to either side with "THOMAS" and "GIFFIN" within curved reserves above and below, and a large "&" within a shaped reserve stamped between touch marks, all on underside of well (Cotterell 4801).ProvenanceDr. and Mrs. Henry P. Deyerle, Harrisonburg, Virginia. Purchased at an estate auction conducted by Sotheby's in Charlottesville, Virginia, on May 26, 1995.
