Littleton Holland
Goblet
c. 1805
Physical Qualities
Silver, 5 7/8 x 6 9/16 x 4 3/16 in. (14.9 x 16.7 x 10.6 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Virginia P.B. White, Baltimore
Object Number
1933.54.70b
Littleton Holland worked in Baltimore from around 1800 until his death at mid-century. The form he chose for these drinking vessels is simple – large bowls set on knobbed stems with stepped bases. Littleton’s design depends on graceful curves and highly polished surfaces. Each goblet bears the initial H enclosed in a shield that echoes the goblet’s ovoid bowl. Here we compare the front of one goblet to the back of its twin. How does the addition of an engraved initial change the visual impact of Holland’s design?
"French, English and American Silver." Minneapolis: The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, 1956, cat. no. 230
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. 97, ill.
Inscribed: Etched onto bottom of base: "VW 203" "H" enclosed in a shield surrounded by interlaced olive brances and surmounted by a basket of flowers
Markings: Maker's mark: "Holland"
On View: American Wing Second Floor, Chestertown Hallway/Case 3
