Domestic Furnishings

Tiffany Floor Lamp

Washboards, armchairs, lamps, and pots and pans may not seem to be museum pieces. But they are invaluable evidence of how most people lived day to day, last week or three centuries ago. The Museum's collections of domestic furnishings comprise more than 40,000 artifacts from American households. Large and small, they include four houses, roughly 800 pieces of furniture, fireplace equipment, spinning wheels, ceramics and glass, family portraits, and much more.

The Arthur and Edna Greenwood Collection contains more than 2,000 objects from New England households from colonial times to mid-1800s. From kitchens of the past, the collections hold some 3,300 artifacts, ranging from refrigerators to spatulas. The lighting devices alone number roughly 3,000 lamps, candleholders, and lanterns.

Meissen tankard (Hausmaler)

TITLE: Meissen tankard (Hausmaler)MAKER: Meissen ManufactoryPHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: ceramic, porcelain, hard paste (overall material)MEASUREMENTS: 5¾" 14.6 cmOBJECT NAME: TankardPLACE MADE: Meissen, Saxony, GermanyDATE MADE: 1730, MeissenSUBJECT: The Hans Syz CollectionArtDomestic
Description
TITLE: Meissen tankard (Hausmaler)
MAKER: Meissen Manufactory
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: ceramic, porcelain, hard paste (overall material)
MEASUREMENTS: 5¾" 14.6 cm
OBJECT NAME: Tankard
PLACE MADE: Meissen, Saxony, Germany
DATE MADE: 1730, Meissen
SUBJECT: The Hans Syz Collection
Art
Domestic Furnishing
Industry and Manufacturing
CREDIT LINE: Hans C. Syz Collection
ID NUMBER: 1987.0896.40
COLLECTOR/ DONOR: 953
ACCESSION NUMBER:
(DATA SOURCE: National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center)
MARKS: Crossed swords in blue on unglazed base.
PURCHASED FROM: Blumka Gallery, New York, 1957. Ex. Coll. Dr. Hermann Freund.
This tankard is from the Smithsonian’s Hans Syz Collection of Meissen Porcelain. Dr. Syz (1894-1991) began his collection in the early years of World War II, when he purchased eighteenth-century Meissen table wares from the Art Exchange run by the New York dealer Adolf Beckhardt (1889-1962). Dr. Syz, a Swiss immigrant to the United States, collected Meissen porcelain while engaged in a professional career in psychiatry and the research of human behavior. He believed that cultural artifacts have an important role to play in enhancing our awareness and understanding of human creativity and its communication among peoples. His collection grew to represent this conviction.
The invention of Meissen porcelain, declared over three hundred years ago early in 1709, was a collective achievement that represents an early modern precursor to industrial chemistry and materials science. The porcelains we see in our museum collections, made in the small town of Meissen in Germany, were the result of an intense period of empirical research. Generally associated with artistic achievement of a high order, Meissen porcelain was also a technological achievement in the development of inorganic, non-metallic materials.
The tankard was made in the Meissen manufactory but painted outside by an independent artist. There is no cover on this piece. Hausmalerei is a German word that means in literal translation ‘home painting’, and it refers to the practice of painting enamels and gold onto the surface of blank ceramics and glass in workshops outside the manufactory of origin. Beginning in the seventeenth century the work of the Hausmaler varied in quality from the outstanding workshops of Nuremberg, Augsburg, and Breslau (now Wroclaw in Poland), to the less skilled efforts of amateur artists. Early Meissen porcelain was sought after for this purpose, and wealthy patrons of local enameling and gilding workshops purchased undecorated porcelain, often of out-moded or inferior quality, which was then enameled with subjects of their choice. Hausmalerei was at first acceptable to the early porcelain manufactories like Meissen and Vienna, and Meissen sent blank porcelain to Augsburg workshops for decoration, but as the market became more competitive they tried to eradicate the practice. It was a temptation for Meissen porcelain painters to take on extra work as Hausmaler to augment their low pay, and the manufactory cautioned or imprisoned them if Hausmalerei activity was suspected or discovered.
The tankard has an allegorical subject painted in the style of Hausmaler Hans Gottlieb von Bressler of Breslau who painted on porcelain for his own pleasure in the style of his teacher, the well-known Hausmaler Ignaz Bottengruber, also of Breslau. Count von Bressler became mayor of Breslau in 1766.
It is not clear what the allegory on this tankard depicts. The authors of the Catalogue of the Hans Syz Collection suggest that the map represents the partition of Poland-Lithuania, but that process did not begin until 1772, well after Bressler was active as a Hausmaler.The subject may refer to the events of the Northern Wars with Sweden. Poland-Lithuania had already surrendered Kiev and land east of the river Dnieper to Russia in 1686, and in 1709 the Battle of Poltava was the point at which Swedish power in Northern Europe declined and Peter the Great began to establish Russian dominance in the Baltic region; a move that had serious consequences for Poland-Lithuania leading to the late eighteenth-century partitions that brought the commonwealth to an end. As King of Poland the Saxon Elector Augustus II was drawn into the Northern Wars against Sweden that finally ended in 1721, followed by the War of Polish Succession that broke out after his death in 1733. The allegory could also refer to the later Silesian wars of the early 1740s in which Poland lost territory to Prussia, and therefore painted by a Hausmaler at a later date.
For comparison see a tankard in the Victoria and Albert Museum: http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O334523/tankard-bressler-hans-gottlieb/
On Hausmaler see Ulrich Pietsch, 2011, Early Meissen Porcelain: The Wark Collection from The Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens, pp. 43-46; Pazaurek, G. E., 1925, Deutsche Fayence und Porzellan Hausmaler.
Hans Syz, J. Jefferson Miller II, Rainer Rückert, 1979, Catalogue of the Hans Syz Collection: Meissen Porcelain and Hausmalerei, pp. 516-517.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1730
1730
maker
Meissen Manufactory
ID Number
1987.0896.40
catalog number
1987.0896.40
accession number
1987.0896
collector/donor number
953

Porringer

Bellied-bowl porringer with angled rim and bossed bottom; cast crown handle with triangular bracket is pierced with 11 voids and struck on top with the incuse serif letters "LB" at center of a circular shield on indistinct support flanked by bossed foliate volutes below a five-pe
Description
Bellied-bowl porringer with angled rim and bossed bottom; cast crown handle with triangular bracket is pierced with 11 voids and struck on top with the incuse serif letters "LB" at center of a circular shield on indistinct support flanked by bossed foliate volutes below a five-pearl (ducal) coronet with textured ground. "Mason" and "10" scratched on underside of boss. No touchmarks. Diamond or lozenge linen mark with sink hole from tinker's dam used to burn handle on to bowl. Turning marks across entire bottom underside.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
late 18th or early 19th century
1770 - 1780
ID Number
DL.388320
catalog number
388320
accession number
182022

Chinese reticulated bowl

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
mid-seventeenth century
ID Number
CE.P-464
catalog number
P-464
accession number
225282

Cup Plate

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Mellor, Venables and Company
ID Number
CE.62.955J
catalog number
62.955J
accession number
171126

Pantry Box

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1850 - 1900
ID Number
DL.305626.0004
catalog number
305626.0004
accession number
305626

Plate

Plain-rim circular plate with flat well; no foot ring. Cast in underside of rim with raised shaded serif letters "H.S" in a quatrefoil cartouche. No other marks apparent. Collector's label on underside of well.Currently not on view
Description
Plain-rim circular plate with flat well; no foot ring. Cast in underside of rim with raised shaded serif letters "H.S" in a quatrefoil cartouche. No other marks apparent. Collector's label on underside of well.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
mid 18th century
ID Number
1986.0027.54
catalog number
1986.0027.54
accession number
1986.0027

Spice Tin

Cylindrical, black-painted container with friction-fit, low-domed cover faintly stenciled "(???)peper(?)" in gold across top.
Description
Cylindrical, black-painted container with friction-fit, low-domed cover faintly stenciled "(???)peper(?)" in gold across top. Cover and container are made in two pieces, one-piece sides have vertical lapped seams while cover top and flat bottom are attached with folded edges; container has plain rim with raised bead below. No marks. One of seven canisters with spice box, DL*257491.0035-.0042.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
mid 19th to early 20th century
ID Number
DL.257491.0042
catalog number
257491.0042
accession number
257491

Water Heater

Wire-rimmed conical cup with interior lip soldered to a base formed of two shallow pans attached well-to-well.
Description
Wire-rimmed conical cup with interior lip soldered to a base formed of two shallow pans attached well-to-well. Flat circular lid and circular loop strap handle, placed on opposite sides of rim, are both hinged; handle can fold inside the cup when lid is open but cannot rest on top of the closed lid. Cup with folded vertical seam. Riveted construction. No marks.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
19th century
ID Number
DL.151485
catalog number
151485
accession number
23640

Russian porcelain vase

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
c. 1860s
ID Number
CE.P-535
catalog number
P-535
accession number
225282

Worcester porcelain oval dish

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1792-1804
ID Number
CE.P-820D
catalog number
P-820D
accession number
225282

Meissen porcelain sugar bowl

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1724
maker
Meissen Manufactory
ID Number
CE.P-741
catalog number
P-741
accession number
225282

Platter

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
maker
James & Ralph Clews
ID Number
CE.62.905V
catalog number
62.905V
accession number
171126

Worcester porcelain oval dessert dish (part of a service)

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
c.1800
ID Number
CE.P-819B
catalog number
P-819B
accession number
225282

Ounce Measure

Small, handleless, tapered cylindrical cup or beaker with two bands of five grooves near top and bottom; ounce size. High foot ring. Stamped incuse on bottom exterior "5". No other marks.Currently not on view
Description
Small, handleless, tapered cylindrical cup or beaker with two bands of five grooves near top and bottom; ounce size. High foot ring. Stamped incuse on bottom exterior "5". No other marks.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1750-1850
ca 1850-1900
ID Number
DL.67.0092
catalog number
67.0092
accession number
250853

dish

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
about 1879
ID Number
CE.75.125J
catalog number
75.125J
accession number
317832

Jewelry Box

Elongated lidded box with bulging sides and reverse-cyma canted corners on four, inward-facing, split-scroll feet.
Description
Elongated lidded box with bulging sides and reverse-cyma canted corners on four, inward-facing, split-scroll feet. Chased and stamped festoons of flowers cover sides of body and the conforming, flat-domed lid, the top of which bears a depiction of a closed carriage being pulled left by two plumed horses, the driver accompanied by a dog and footman. Internal clasp; five-finger hinge runs width of back. Bottom underside is struck with a long zigzag or wrigglework line next to a rampant bear facing left with "C" at right in a circle, and what appear to be the raised serif letters "HUD(?) / NE(?)" in a conforming surround.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1760-1770
ID Number
DL.382096
catalog number
382096

Clichy Paperweight

In the 1700s, paperweights made from textured stone or bronze were part of the writer’s tool kit, which also included a quill pen and stand, inkpot, and blotter.
Description (Brief)
In the 1700s, paperweights made from textured stone or bronze were part of the writer’s tool kit, which also included a quill pen and stand, inkpot, and blotter. By the mid-1800s, decorative paperweights produced by glassmakers in Europe and the United States became highly desired collectibles.
Decorative glass paperweights reflected the 19th-century taste for intricate, over-the-top designs. Until the spread of textiles colorized with synthetic dyes, ceramics and glass were among the few objects that added brilliant color to a 19th-century Victorian interior. The popularity of these paperweights in the 1800s testifies to the sustained cultural interest in hand craftsmanship during an age of rapid industrialization.
The French firm, Verrerie de Clichy, began operation after merging with another local glassworks in 1837. The height of paperweight production at the firm was 1846 to 1857.
This Clichy paperweight features concentric rings of millefiori and a “C” signature cane. Millefiore paperweights, first manufactured in Venice, consist of sections from rods of colored glass encased in a clear, colorless sphere. By the mid-nineteenth century, glass factories elsewhere in Europe were emulating the millefiore style.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1845-1850
maker
Clichy
ID Number
CE.66.74
catalog number
66.74
collector/donor number
174
accession number
268356

Teapot

Oblong, bulbous teapot with an oval, high-domed, hinged lid topped by a lion's mask knop and four ball-and-claw feet attached to the rounded bottom by large acanthus leaves; engraved "EL" in conjoined foliate script on one side.
Description
Oblong, bulbous teapot with an oval, high-domed, hinged lid topped by a lion's mask knop and four ball-and-claw feet attached to the rounded bottom by large acanthus leaves; engraved "EL" in conjoined foliate script on one side. Seamed body has convex and concave bands below its flared top. Bracket-top, C curve handle with swelled grip is pinned into ivory insulators and cylindrical sockets. Seamed S curve spout has a D-shaped, flared lip. Underside of bottom is struck at center "HUTTON" in raised serif letters in a rectangle flanked by standing spreadwing eagles facing right with heads turned left in horizontal ovals.
Maker is Isaac Hutton (1766-1855) of Albany, NY; working, 1790-1817.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1815
ID Number
DL.383532
catalog number
383532
accession number
162866

Tureen

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Job & John Jackson
ID Number
CE.62.942B
catalog number
62.942B
accession number
171126

Pitcher, "Come Box the Compass"

This transfer printed creamware pitcher is decorated on one side by a compass pattern and a commemoration to George Washington on the other.
Description
This transfer printed creamware pitcher is decorated on one side by a compass pattern and a commemoration to George Washington on the other. The compass design is headed by a scroll that reads “Come Box the Compass” while below is the text “Invented by Murphy a Dutchman AD 1229 first exhibited at Venice 1260 Improved by Giora of Naples 1309 its declination discovered by Hartman 1538.” The other side features an inset portrait of George Washington flanked by the allegorical figures of Liberty and Freedom. A twisting scroll around the portrait bears the names of 15 states, including misspellings of “Tenassee” and “Masachusett.”
This pitcher is part of the McCauley collection of American themed transfer print pottery. There is no mark on the pitcher to tell us who made it, but it is characteristic of wares made in large volume for the American market in both Staffordshire and Liverpool between 1790 and 1820. Pitchers of this shape, with a cream colored glaze over a pale earthenware clay, known as Liverpool type, were the most common vessels to feature transfer prints with subjects commemorating events and significant figures in the early decades of United States’ history. Notwithstanding the tense relationship between Britain and America, Liverpool and Staffordshire printers and potters seized the commercial opportunity offered them in the production of transfer printed earthenwares celebrating the heroes, the military victories, and the virtues of the young republic, and frequently all of these things at once.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
CE.63.133
catalog number
63.133
accession number
248619
collector/donor number
45-365

Platter

This platter features a transfer print of the Pennsylvania Hospital building in Philadelphia and is part of J&W Ridgway's "Beauties of America" series, a blue transfer decorated dinner service decorated with views of American buildings and a border of roses on the vine, superimpo
Description
This platter features a transfer print of the Pennsylvania Hospital building in Philadelphia and is part of J&W Ridgway's "Beauties of America" series, a blue transfer decorated dinner service decorated with views of American buildings and a border of roses on the vine, superimposed on regularly formed, lighter blue leaves.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1814-1830
maker
J & W Ridgway
ID Number
CE.62.909S
catalog number
62.909S
accession number
171126

Mug

Raised bulbous or bellied cann or mug with flared rim incised around exterior, rounded bottom, and cast stepped circular foot. Hollow, double C-scroll handle has a scrolled acanthus leaf on top and a split scroll lower terminal; flared conical struts.
Description
Raised bulbous or bellied cann or mug with flared rim incised around exterior, rounded bottom, and cast stepped circular foot. Hollow, double C-scroll handle has a scrolled acanthus leaf on top and a split scroll lower terminal; flared conical struts. Bottom underside struck once, possibly over centerpoint, "IGL" in raised serif letters in a rectangle. Portion of an old, red-bordered white paper collection label adhered below mark.
Style of cann suggests maker is Jacob Gerritse Lansing II (1736/7-1803) of Albany, NY (working, circa 1755-1774 or later), rather than his grandfather Jacob Gerritse I (1681-1767).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1760-1770
ID Number
DL.383539
catalog number
383539
accession number
162866

Match Safe

Symmetrical, wavy-sided rectangular case with side-hinged lid featuring identical repousse decoration on front and back of inward-facing scrolls and bead-veined leaves bordering a raised reserve; back (hinge at right) is engraved "AL" in script. Incurved strike plate at bottom.
Description
Symmetrical, wavy-sided rectangular case with side-hinged lid featuring identical repousse decoration on front and back of inward-facing scrolls and bead-veined leaves bordering a raised reserve; back (hinge at right) is engraved "AL" in script. Incurved strike plate at bottom. Collar front and back are struck at center "925/1000FINE" in raised sans serif letters. No maker's marks.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
late 19th century
ID Number
DL.60.2133
catalog number
60.2133
accession number
200122

Fluting Iron

Manually-operated fluting machine or iron with two, hollow, corrugated rollers, open at crank end, mounted horizontally one above the other on a rounded rectangular, stepped ogee-sided stand that is integrally cast with the flared rectangular pedestal supports for the lower rolle
Description
Manually-operated fluting machine or iron with two, hollow, corrugated rollers, open at crank end, mounted horizontally one above the other on a rounded rectangular, stepped ogee-sided stand that is integrally cast with the flared rectangular pedestal supports for the lower roller. Red-orange paint. Frame holding upper roller has an arched flat spring across its top and a large, curved right-angle lever that pivots on a separate support at back right ending with tension screw on spring; S curve lever on lower roller next to wooden-handled crank works with the upper lever to move the rollers apart. Stenciled on underside "F / 744". No other marks.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1850 - 1900
ca 1900
ID Number
DL.229771.0001
catalog number
229771.0001
accession number
229771

Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.

If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.