Silver Tea Caddy & Tongs, c. 1791

The caddy with original script monogram PEL, almost certainly for Peter William Livingston and Elizabeth Beekman, who married in about 1792. The tongs with monogram P / I * C.

Daniel Van Voorhis (who served under Washington in the Revolutionary War) and Garret Schenk (Van Voorhis's former apprentice who would die at the age of twenty-seven) partnered for a just very short period, making it possible to date these pieces quite precisely. That date is contemporaneous with the marriage of Peter and Elizabeth Livingston. Given the narrow time window and the fact that only a wealthy family like the Livingstons could have afforded an extravagance like a silver caddy, this piece was certainly a marriage piece for Peter and Elizabeth. It's an uncommon example of early American silver that can be tied to specific individuals.

Unusually, the shield with the engraved monogram is raised: made as a separate piece and applied. This iconoclastic feature appears on several other works by Van Voorhis, but apparently no other American silversmiths.

While the tongs bear a different monogram, they feature the same rare maker's mark. Both pieces are excellent examples of American bright-cut engraving, with an extremely rare maker's mark. The locking mechanism is in working order.