Lot 320
320
AN AMERICAN SILVER-GILT TWO-HANDLED PRESENTATION CUP AND COVER
AN AMERICAN SILVER-GILT TWO-HANDLED PRESENTATION CUP AND COVER
AN AMERICAN SILVER-GILT TWO-HANDLED PRESENTATION CUP AND COVER
AN AMERICAN SILVER-GILT TWO-HANDLED PRESENTATION CUP AND COVER
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PROPERTY FROM THE ORANGE BLOSSOM COLLECTION
AN AMERICAN SILVER-GILT TWO-HANDLED PRESENTATION CUP AND COVER

MARK OF GORHAM MFG. CO., PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, CIRCA 1907, RETAILED BY THEODORE B. STARR, NEW YORK

Details
AN AMERICAN SILVER-GILT TWO-HANDLED PRESENTATION CUP AND COVER
MARK OF GORHAM MFG. CO., PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, CIRCA 1907, RETAILED BY THEODORE B. STARR, NEW YORK
Of campana form, chased with panels bordered by shells and scrolls and swags of flowers, one side with presentation inscription reading To Edward Frank Willis James born August 16, 1907 the other side reading From His Uncle Daniel Willis James of New York, with scrolled loop handles capped with acanthus and masks, on a conforming circular base raised on four scrolled feet, and with conforming domed cover with acanthus wrapped bud finial, marked on underside and numbered 8641
16 ½ in. (41.9 cm.) high
101 oz. 16 dwt. (3,166 gr.)
Provenance
Presented to Edward Frank Willis James (1907-1984) by his step-uncle Daniel Willis James (1832-1907) on the occasion of his birth.
Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, New York, 15 June 1998, lot 1591.

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Lot Essay

Born in 1907 in England, Edward Frank Willis James (1907-1984) inherited his fortune through his father, William James, from his American grandfather Daniel James, who was one of the founding partners of Phelps, Dodge, & Co., a trading organization founded in New York in 1833 which exported cotton to England while importing manufactured goods such as tin, iron, and copper. The present lot was given to James by Daniel Willis James, his step-uncle from his grandfather's first marriage. In addition to being a poet, Edward James spent much of his adult life sponsoring the arts, including stage productions and poetry compilations. James is best known, though, as a passionate supporter of surrealism, sponsoring the work of artists such as Salvador Dali and Magritte, as well as helping to create the Surrealist sculpture garden of Las Pozas near the village of Xilitla in Mexico.

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