A few notes on the tea set -Don Boarman, Museum Curator
The set consists of three pieces, a tea pot, cream pitcher and sugar bowl. We do know that there is at least one other piece to the set, a waste bowl, now at Cheekwood Botanical Garden in Nashville. The set is made of coin silver with a gilt finish. The pattern is known as "Bird's Nest" with cast birds, vines and leaves. A continuous anthemoin motif surrounds the rim. A vermiform pattern covers the bowl portion of each piece. Each piece contains the inscription, "JJA", while the teapot and the waste bowl at Cheekwood each also contain on the verso, the inscription, "To My Dear Friend John James Audubon as a token of my esteem and affection from John Bachman".
At present we do not know at what point or occasion Bachman gave the set to Audubon. We have traced its passage into the hands of a Dr. Munson and then Ethel Pease of Mass. then to an anonymous silver collector in New England to a silver dealer who posted it on eBay.
The silver forum seems to think it was made by John Chandler Moore of New York who did contract work for Tiffany and later sold out to that company.
Until we determine where the set belongs in the chronology of the Audubon story it is being displayed in the silver case in Gallery C of the museum.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |