Bowl, Sugar

Object/Artifact

Historic Charleston Foundation

Boulanger sugar bowl

Name/Title

Bowl, Sugar

Entry/Object ID

L.98.4.1

Description

Jean-Nicolas Boulanger (French, 1739-1811) Covered sugar bowl and tray Paris, France 1784 Silver Engraved on side: AM (most likely for Ann Manigault, mother of Arthur Middleton); stamped: mark of the crown, date letter, urn and JNB on underside Jean-Nicolas Boulanger (French, 1739-1811) Covered sugar bowl and tray Paris, France, 1784 Silver Bowl: H. 4 1/2 x W. 6 5/8 x D. 3 3/4 inches; Tray: H. 5/8 x W. 9 1/16 x D. 6 1/8 inches. Engraved on side: AM (most likely for Ann Manigault, mother of Arthur Middleton); stamped: mark of the crown, date letter, urn and JNB on underside Historic Charleston Foundation, Charleston, SC, lent by Mrs. Margaret Lowndes Land, L.98.4.1 One small covered tureen and underplate, intended for use as a sugar bowl. Engraved "AM." Made in Paris, France in 1784 as confirmed by warden's mark of "P" and "84." The maker's mark including the letters "JNB" indicate the shop of Jean-Nicolas Boulanger, who became a master in 1783 and worked in Paris. Duty marks reveal that Henry Clavel registered and collected tax on this piece, which was intended for export. This is confirmed by the mark if a crown and "A" (Clavel's charge mark used on large silver pieces from 1783 to Feb. 1789). Also marked with an urn, the discharge mark used on items intended for export. The monogram "AM" stand for Anne Manigault Middleton. Jean-Nicolas Boulanger (French, 1739-1811) Covered sugar bowl and tray Paris, France, 1784 Silver Bowl: H. 4 1/2 x W. 6 5/8 x D. 3 3/4 inches; Tray: H. 5/8 x W. 9 1/16 x D. 6 1/8 inches. Engraved on side: AM (most likely for Ann Manigault, mother of Arthur Middleton); stamped: mark of the crown, date letter, urn and JNB on underside Historic Charleston Foundation, Charleston, SC, lent by Mrs. Margaret Lowndes Land, L.98.4.1 This covered sugar bowl and plate, previously thought to have belonged to Arthur Middleton (1785-1837), was more likely a present purchased by Joseph Manigault for his sister Ann Manigault (1762-1811), Arthur's mother. Joseph Manigault, who, like most sons of Charleston's elite, studied abroad in London and Geneva, seized on his time abroad to acquire goods for himself and his family. In 1810, Ann Middleton's son Arthur married Alicia Hopton Russell (1797-1877) in one of the most celebrated events of Charleston's social season. Boulanger, who in 1783 became a master silversmith, was at the beginning of his career when this sugar bowl and under plate were produced. The mark of the crown and "A" next to Boulanger's mark indicates that this piece was registered by Henry Clavel, the régisseur général from 1781-1789, and the urn mark on the rim denotes it as an item intended for export. BJO Solange Brault-Lerch, Les Orfevres de Troyes (Geneva, Switzerland: Librairie Droz S.A., 1986), 43.

Collection

Loan

Made/Created

Artist

Boulanger, Jean-Nicolas (French, 1739-1811)

Date made

1784

Place

Location

Paris, France

Inscription/Signature/Marks

Notes

Maker's Mark: JNB on underside of rim

Lexicon

Nomenclature 4.0

Nomenclature Secondary Object Term

Bowl, Sugar

Nomenclature Primary Object Term

Bowl, Serving

Nomenclature Sub-Class

Serving Vessels

Nomenclature Class

Food Service T&E

Nomenclature Category

Category 04: Tools & Equipment for Materials

Dimensions

Height

4-1/2 in

Width

6-11/16 in

Depth

3-3/4 in

Dimension Notes

Dimensions of plate: 9 1/4 " x 6 1/8" Underplate: H. 5/8 x W. 9 1/16 x 6 1/8 inches

Material

Silver

Location

Room

303

Building

Nathaniel Russell House

Date

February 7, 2023

Relationships

Related Publications

Notes

"In Pursuit of Refinement: Charlestonians Abroad 1740-1860", pg. 275, entry 104., written by J. Thomas Savage.

Provenance

Notes

Last Owner: Middleton family by descent

Exhibitions

Intake

Loan In

L.1998.004.

Lender

Margaret Lowndes Land c/o Richard Whatley

General Notes

Note

Notes: Similar sugar bowl 1785-1787, by Louis Joseph Bounty called Milleraud-Bouty, picture in folder (pg.83) Descending through the Midleton family, the engraved "AM" monogram on this elegant sugar bowl and stand by Parisian silversmith Jean-Nicolas Boulanger was thought at first to be that of Arthur Middleton of Stono, born in1785. Recent research bpy Charlotte Crabtree and Robert Leath has proposed a logical provenance. Arthur's mother was Ann Manigault whose brother Joseph Manigault was in Europe in 1784, studying in London and Geneva. Fully availing himself of the opportunity to buy European goods, Joseph Manigault commissioned a portrait in London by Gilbert Stuart, purchased a chariot for his brother Gabriel and a fortepiano for his sister Harriett. He likely purchased for his sister Ann, this French sugar bowl, still rococo in shape but with norclassical festoon decoration by the young Boulanger, who had become a master silversmith only the year before , in 1783. The nearly microscopic marks typical of French silver include the maker's mark "JNB", the tiny numerals"84" buried with the warden Henry Clavell's mark and a mark on the rim confirming that the piece was originally intended for export.

Created By

admin@catalogit.app

Create Date

July 1, 2002

Updated By

sferguson@historiccharleston.org

Update Date

May 3, 2023