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Cornelius Kierstede, colonial silversmith.(Biography)
Silver played an extremely significant role in colonial American life. In a period when banks did not exist, silver allowed families to save their money in a manner that was easily identifiable, useful, and attractive. These characteristics also made silver objects popular gifts during this period. Further, the specific form and ornament of a commission gave patrons a way to make socioeconomic statements about themselves through their silver. Altogether, then, the study of the work of a particular silversmith not only tells the story of his own life and artistic style but also paints a picture of the customs, ethnic composition, affluence, alliances, and social workings of the community in which he lived. Cornelius Kierstede is a case in point.
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Kierstede was born in New York City on Christmas Day 1674, into the third generation of a Dutch-American family. (1) After serving an apprenticeship, he began working as a silversmith and registered as a freeman of New York City on July 26, 1698. (2) At the time the city was almost as culturally diverse as it is today: as early as 1647 eighteen languages were spoken, and a mix of Dutch, English, French, Iberian, Germanic, Scandinavian, Hibernian, and Slavic people made it their home. (3) Accordingly, the silver brought to the colony was equally diverse in its forms, decoration, and functions, and the silver that was made there eventually synthesized this mix of multicultural forms and ornament into a unique New York style.
For the most part, New York City silver was based on Dutch and English forms and tended to be larger than that made in other American cities. The hefty bodies were decorated with Dutch repousse floral decoration and cast and applied figures; French motifs introduced to New York by Huguenot silversmiths, such as meander wire (a thin wire bent into a waving line and then applied to the piece to embellish elements such as hinges and molded bases and lips) and cut-card decoration (sections of silver cut into decorative patterns and then applied to an object); as well as with other German and northern European elements. (4) Also typical of New York City pieces are identifying engravings, such as initials, coats of arms, and ciphers. This melange of form and ornament became the hallmark of the New York style, and the tankard, which was produced longer there than in New England or Europe, became the ultimate New York product.
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