Diplomatic Reception Rooms, U.S. Department of State

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Web Property of the U.S. Department of State

American Silver Tankard

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Object Details

Maker
Andrew Billings (American, 1743-1808)
Date
ca. 1785
Geography
United States: New York: Poughkeepsie (possible); United States: New York: Fishkill (possible); United States: Connecticut: Preston (possible)
Culture
North American
Medium
metal; silver
Dimensions
Overall: 7 3/8 in x 5 5/8 in; 18.7325 cm x 14.2875 cm
Provenance
By descent in the family of Richard S. Auchincloss of New York.
Inscriptions
A mirror cipher in a circle on the center of the cover, "CW;" and a coat of arms with a mantling on the front. Also, scratch weight on the bottom, "34 oz. 10 dwt." Marks: In script within a rectangular reserve "A Billing" [sic]; and a small bird head within an oval reserve on the bottom.
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Richard S. Auchincloss in memory of his father, Mr. Charles Auchincloss
Collection
The Diplomatic Reception Rooms, U.S. Department of State, Washington, D.C.
Accession Number
RR-1980.0059

Object Essay

Broad proportions, rows of molding, a wide overhang on the stepped, flat cover, and the use of a circular monogram in the center of the cover identify this tankard as having been made in or under the influence of a New York shop. The use of the bird-head mark suggests a date following the Revolution, although stylistically the piece could have been produced as much as twenty years earlier. The engraved coat of arms displays both rococo and neoclassical elements. The small difference between the original scratch weight and the current weight of this piece attests to its fine, untouched condition.       

Andrew Billings and his brother Daniel (1749–d. after 1795), also a silversmith, were born in Stonington, Connecticut, and both later worked in Preston, Connecticut. Andrew seems to have had New York connections; the strongly New York character of this piece may indicate that he served his apprenticeship there. Andrew married Cornelia Livingston and served as a major during the Revolutionary War, working after the war as a silversmith in Fishkill and Poughkeepsie, New York.1Flynt and Fales, 157.

Jennifer F. Goldsborough

Excerpted from Clement E. Conger, et al. Treasures of State: Fine and Decorative Arts in the Diplomatic Reception Rooms of the U.S. Department of State. New York: H.N. Abrams, 1991.