Epergne
Functioning as the table’s centerpiece, an epergne was the most expensive and elaborate component of a silver dinner service. This epergne’s iconography of abundance—its pineapple finial, as well as the pomegranates and roses incorporated into its intricate openwork—would have echoed the delicacies served in its many interchangeable baskets and dishes. Its pagoda-shaped canopy evinces the popularity of chinoiserie, a whimsical decorative style loosely inspired by Chinese motifs, in mid-eighteenth-century England. Thomas Heming, who registered his first mark in June 1745, made this epergne during his term as principal goldsmith to King George III from 1760 to 1782.
Artwork Details
- Title: Epergne
- Maker: Thomas Heming (active 1745–73)
- Date: 1766–67
- Culture: British, London
- Medium: Silver
- Dimensions: Overall: 24 5/8 × 28 1/2 × 29 3/8 in. (62.5 × 72.4 × 74.6 cm)
- Classification: Metalwork-Silver
- Credit Line: Gift of Lewis Einstein, 1952
- Object Number: 52.1.1a–x
- Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
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Thomas Heming
1771–73
Thomas Heming
1749–50
Thomas Heming
1770–71
Thomas Heming
1766–67
Thomas Heming
1766–67
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