Waste Bowl
Dateca. 1820
Marked by
John Adam
1775 - 1848
MediumSilver
DimensionsHeight: 3 7/8”; Diameter at lip: 5 ¾”
Credit LineGift of Cliff Fleet and Fran Zemmel
Object number2022-2
DescriptionSilver waste bowl with a stepped low circular splayed foot supporting a hemispherical body, topped with an applied reeded band at its lip.Label TextAn integral part of a tea set, this silver waste bowl was first owned by the Sherrard family in then-rural northern Virginia. Since many turned to artisans in the nearest urban centers for luxury goods, it was acquired it from silversmith John Adam of Alexandria, a thriving seaport on the Potomac River. The bowl carries a lightly engraved "S," for Sherrard, on the right side of the body, as a mark of ownership. After two centuries of direct decent it was presented to Colonial Williamsburg, having never left Virginia.Inscription(s)Engraved “S” in sprigged script on side of body.Mark(s)Stamped in relief on edge of foot “J•Adam” in script, within a stepped rectangle.ProvenanceThis waste bowl by Alexandria, Virginia, silversmith John Adam has a direct family line of descent from the Sherrard family of Virginia to the donor, Clifford B. Fleet. Per donor, the piece has never left Virginia.
