Paul Revere silverware reveals the patriot’s incredible talent as a silversmith
Stunning silverware made by Paul Revere, which include a coffee pot valued at $1.85 million, offers a glimpse into the patriot’s talents as a silversmith.
Paul Revere made his famous midnight ride to Lexington, Massachusetts exactly 244 years ago on April 18, 1775, cementing his place in the pantheon of American patriots.
Revere’s ride alerted colonial militia of approaching British forces who intended to destroy military supplies in Concord.
To coincide with the anniversary, New Orleans gallery M.S. Rau Antiques is showcasing stunning silverware made by Revere, which include a coffee pot valued at $1.85 million. The items provide a glimpse into the patriot’s talents as a silversmith.
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“Revere was one of the few American silversmiths who could take raw silver all the way to the finished product,” Lyndon Lasiter, sales consultant for M.S. Rau Antiques, told Fox News.
The silver coffee pot made by Paul Revere is valued at $1.85 million. (James Rogers, Fox News)
Being a silversmith was considered one of the most trustworthy trades, according to Lasiter. “You’re handing your silver to someone to make something for you, you have to trust them,” he said. “They were so trustworthy that there was no question that if someone like Paul Revere was spreading the word, people would believe him.”
Revere made the coffee pot, which bears the crest of the prominent Dudley family, around 1775. Thomas Dudley and his son Joseph were early Massachusetts governors.
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The coffee pot is one of only three in existence, according to Lasiter, who says that the others are in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and the Worcester Art Museum in Massachusetts.
Illustration of Paul Revere's midnight ride - From "The History of Our Country," published 1900. (Photo by: Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images)
“This is as rare a piece of American memorabilia as you will ever see,” said Lasiter.
Other Paul Revere items in the gallery’s collection include a pair of silver porringers, or soup bowls, valued at around $368,000 and a creamer valued at $168,000. “They all bear the mark ‘Revere,’ which was his signature, except for the porringers, which were done earlier, which he signed ‘P.Revere’,” said Lasiter.
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The silver pieces are all part of an exhibition at M.S. Rau Antiques entitled, “From Sea to Shining Sea 200 years of American Art.”
The Associated Press contributed to this article. Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers