Maker: Charles Louis Boehme
Date:
c.1800
Medium:
Silver
Size:
Depth: 10 1/2″
Width: 18 1/4″
Height: 13 1/4″

Devoid of superfluous ornamentation, this magnificent soup tureen relies on simplified lines and large reflective surfaces for its powerful visual impact. A cast finial on the lid replicates the tureen in miniature. A study in sumptuous simplicity, the tureen is one of the finest known examples of early Maryland silver. Sadly for the corpus of Baltimore Federal silver, the talented Charles Louis Boehme gave up silversmithing sometime around 1812 to pursue other interests.

Gift of Virginia P.B. White, Baltimore BMA 1933.54.42

This Tureen Inspired This Room

Transcript

[David Park Curry] In looking at it, I got the idea to take our Willowbrook parlor, which is one of only two
documented oval parlors in all of historic Maryland, and use it to display silver, choosing pieces that like the
room are inspired by neoclassical ideas and that use some of the same shapes and techniques of
ornamentation. All the design ideas that we see in silver and in furniture and so forth make pretty direct
reference to the antiquities of ancient Greece and Rome in some way.

Talking to the Grandson of the Donor

Transcript

[Miles Glascock] This is Miles Glascock, the son of Elizabeth Brewster White, the granddaughter of Virginia
White, who donated this magnificent soup tureen that you’re seeing here, as well as an entire collection of
Maryland silver. She wanted to preserve the history of Maryland through magnificent works by some
incredible artisans and craftsmen. Not only does she have a passion for the silver as you’re seeing here, but
you will also notice her gift of really appreciating the Maryland craftsmen as it relates to furniture. As you
walk around the museum, keep your eyes open for other pieces donated by Virginia White.
Our mother would share with us stories of her grandmother listening for the call for fire engines to a home
that was obviously having a fire and her racing after it, and I could only imagine she was going in there to be
opportunistic in finding pieces to complete her collection. Among her other accolades in terms of
preserving Maryland history, she also was the person responsible for saving the Shot Tower, which is
downtown near the Inner Harbor.