Paine Service
Artist
Paul Revere
(American, 1735–1818)
Date1773
Mediumsilver
Dimensionsvarious
ClassificationsMetalwork
Credit LineGift of Frances Thomas & Eliza Sturgis Paine in memory of Frederick William Paine (1937); Gift of Dr. and Mrs. George C. Lincoln of Woodstock, CT in memory of Fanny Chandler Lincoln (1959); Gift of Paine Charitable Trust (1965); Gift of Richard K. Thorndike (1967)
Object number1937–1967.PaineRevereSilver
DescriptionThirty (30) piece set of Revere silver purchased by Dr. William Paine for Lois Orne in 1773 as a wedding present.Label TextThis service, commissioned by Dr. William Paine of Worcester for his bride, Lois Orne, is one of the highest achievements in design and craftsmanship credited to any eighteenth-century New England silversmith. As the centerpieces for the service, the coffeepot and teapot represent a full-blown expression of the graceful, organic Rococo style that became popular in the colonies in the 1750s. Typical are the "double-bellied," gravity-defying forms of the pots, their ornate spouts cast with vigorous C-scrolls and acanthus leaves, the reeded banding of their raised feet, their pineapple finials, and the asymmetrical engraved cartouche representing the coat of arms and crest of the Orne family. The forty-five pieces of flat and hollow ware of the original Paine service, not produced as a matching set, together represent the largest single order recorded in Revere's ledgers. The price he charged for it- £108- was a sum affordable by only the wealthiest patrons.
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