Porringer
Dateca. 1760-1790
Maker
Benjamin Burt
1729 - 1805
MediumSilver
DimensionsOverall: 8 1/4”; Diameter of bowl: 5 5/8"; Height to top of bowl: 1 9/16"
Credit LineBequest of Joseph H. and June S. Hennage
Object number2020-291
DescriptionPorringer with a raised bowl featuring a slightly everted rim, curved sides, and a stepped and domed bottom. Cast keyhole handle soldered at a slightly upward angle to the bowl at the rim.Label TextPopular as a multi-purpose vessel for food and drink alike, porringers were first made in America during the middle of the 17th century. While the form fell out of favor in most of the colonies by the middle of the 18th century, they were still being made in New England well into the 19th century. This example by one of Boston's most prolific silversmiths of the last half of the18th century, is identical to the "keyhole porringers made in that city decades later.Inscription(s)Top of handle engraved "M" over "E Z." Bottom engraved with "M" over "D(?) A" (partially erased), and the weight "oz" above "8 : 15."Mark(s)Struck atop the handle with "BENIAMIN / BURT" in italic relief within a crown-shaped cartouche (Kane mark A).
1683-1684
