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DeWitt Decorative Arts Museum…. a whole lotta silver and Name That (not) Crap.

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I’ve visited a large number of museums in my day and tend to be jaded…. but I have to say, the collection of sterling silver in Williamsburg impressed even me.

 

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Some were simple.

 

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Others elaborate.

(Goose feet! I loved it.)

 

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Some embellished your shoes.

 

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Cases as far as the eye could see of master craftsmanship.

 

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The thought of polishing all these beauties left me quaking….

 

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But honestly…

 

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Wow.

 

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There was a cover for your honeycomb…

 

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A ceremonial scepter.

 

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And countless teapots.

 

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Morbid jewelry?

Check.

 

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Giant turtle?

 

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With a slightly bored husband mimicking the facial expression of the fellow over his shoulder?

Check.

 

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There was even a piece perfect for my Name That Crap game…. although it’s far from crap.

Let’s play!

What is it?

33 thoughts on “DeWitt Decorative Arts Museum…. a whole lotta silver and Name That (not) Crap.”

  2. I always like silver collections in museums. They call to me, even when some of the items are much too ornate by my standards.

    My guess is that the thingie is a way to slice off butter at the table. The butter goes into the round part, is pushed through it then sliced into lovely rounds when needed.

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      1. About a century later Laurence Sterne’s Tristram Shandy would, at the age of five, have an unfortunate accident while urinating out of a window. Unintentional circumcisions are the worst.
        Of course if you go back a few centuries to Robin Hood one of his band had a much more efficient system.

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  5. Mmm. Obviously a slicer, but of what?
    Hard cheese? Possibly, but I don’t think cheese was cured in tube shapes.
    Sausage? Some hard sausages came in that shape.
    Would it sit on the table for the host to use, or the sideboard for the servant?

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    1. Not porn… but still disturbing.
      They consist of the pancreas (“heart,” “chest” or “stomach”) or thymus glands (“throat” or “neck” ) of an animal, usually a calf or a lamb.

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