On View
Slavery and Freedom Gallery
Exhibition
Slavery and Freedom
Manufactured by
Fountain, William, English
Date
1807
Medium
sterling silver with gold wash
Dimensions
H x W x D: 4 1/4 × 7 1/2 × 4 1/4 in. (10.8 × 19.1 × 10.8 cm)
Caption
These pieces, much like those they would replace in Slavery and Freedom, represent the deadly plantation economy in the New World that satisfied the international demand for sugar, which became a staple in the English tea industry. They also represent the financial success that sugar brought to successful slave owners, financiers, slave traders, sugar merchants, and the lifestyle maintained by sugar consumers in the United States. Sugar, Britain’s largest import, was also the focus of one of the first anti-slavery boycotts after the abolition bill was rejected by British Parliament in 1791. The boycott attempted to put economic pressure on the slave-dependent industry of sugar, hastening the end of the trade.
Description
A George III sterling silver sugar bowl with interior gold wash by William Fountain, London. It has an oval shaped body with two silver semi- curved handle. The rim flares outwards slightly and is decorated with the same repeating pattern as the teapot and coffee pot. There are two handles on either end of the bowl that are curved on the long side and flat on top. The upper body of the bowl is smooth while the lower half is decorated by fluting in sections. Etched into the upper half of one side of the bowl is an image of a large bird, possibly a pelican with a fish in its mouth. On the opposite side of the bowl is an image of a lion rampant, with a scroll over its head. In the scroll is text that reads "Forward." The bowl has an oval foot with four points, one at each corner. Each point is formed from a crease in the metal that runs vertically up the body of the body of the bowl. The bowl has a gold washed interior. The exterior bottom of the bowl has two numbers scratched intot he surface "12145" and "1003."
Place made
London, England
Classification
Decorative Arts, Craft, and Design
Type
sugar bowls
Topic
British colonialism
Commerce
Cooking and dining
Design
Domestic life
Economics
Slave trade
Slavery
Sugarcane
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2020.32.5.4
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5bdda7e4d-be3d-486a-a569-cfaca3915ac5

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

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