Joseph Bruff
Coffeepot
c. 1765
Physical Qualities
Silver, wood, 11 3/8 x 5 x 8 7/8 in. (28.9 x 12.7 x 22.5 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Virginia P.B. White, Baltimore
Object Number
1933.54.41
During the 18th century, towns and plantations along the eastern shore of the Chesapeake provided significant patronage for local artisans. Working in Easton, Maryland, Joseph Bruff made this pear-shaped coffee pot that keeps its volume close to the ground. It is a baroque form, marked by solidity and balance. Large engraved initials include a prominent “M.” The coffee pot descended in the Murray family of Maryland.
Baltimore Museum of Art by gift, 1933; Virginia Purviance Bonsal White (1869-1955), Baltimore, MD
Goldsborough, Jennifer Faulds. "Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century Maryland Silver in the Collection of The Baltimore Museum of Art." Baltimore: The Baltimore Museum of Art, 1975. p. 34, ill.
Goldsborough, Jennifer Faulds. "Silver in Maryland", Baltimore: Maryland Historical Society, 1983. p.97, ill.
Inscribed: "M/J" (?) on side
Markings: Maker's Mark, "I.B." at top, just left handle etched on underside: "VW 198"
On View: American Wing Second Floor, Chestertown/Case 2
