Silversmiths to the Nation: Thomas Fletcher and Sidney Gardiner, 1808–1842

November 20, 2007 – May 4, 2008
Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, NY

The American Wing Galleries are gleaming at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. In conjunction with The Winterthur Museum and Country Estate, the Met has put together the very first retrospective devoted entirely to the work of Fletcher and Gardiner, a relatively short-lived but highly significant 19th Century American silversmith firm.

This exhibition features an array of items ranging from the domestic and nondescript to the more outrageous and monumental, such as The Hull Urn. In total, over 100 artifacts are on display.

Visitors are also treated with insights to the silversmith craft and the creative process. A sample of European silver provides some context for these early American works while seven Fletcher and Gardiner pieces are accompanied by original design drawings.

Check out the Met website for more information.