Sconce
Artist/Culture
American
Date18th century
MediumBrass wire, paper, shells, and mica
Dimensions71.1 x 37.5 cm (28 x 14 3/4 in.)
ClassificationsFurniture
Credit LineGift of Harriet E. Clarke
Object number1938.76
DescriptionRectangular with shaped top and goose neck below holding a whale oil lamp of brass. A design of a bouquet of flowers made of shells, brass wire, mica, etc.Label TextThese ornate quillwork creations, made of wax, wire, and paper rolled around a quill, represent the genteel accomplishment of a mid-eighteenth-century craftsperson. They are probably the work of Mary Gatcomb (1725?–1783) of Boston, who married the Reverend Thaddeus Maccarty (1721–1784) in 1747. Four years later, the Reverend Maccarty became the pastor of the First Church in Worcester, later known as Old South Church.ProvenanceHarriet E. Clarke, Worcester, MA; Owned by Rev. Thaddeus Maccarty, Pastor of Old South Church ??
On View
Not on view
late 1800s
about 1600–1650
about 1700–1710
