Details

Title

Ice Bowl

Artist/Maker

Gorham Manufacturing Company, Providence, established 1831, manufacturer

Date

1871

Medium

Silver

Dimensions

6 3/4 x 10 3/4 x 10 3/4 inches

Credit

Virginia Carroll Crawford Collection

Accession #

1990.85

On View

On View - Stent Family Wing, Level 3, Gallery 306

Adorned with polar bears frolicking on a glacier, this bowl is Gorham’s playful response to American fascination with the cold Northwest after the acquisition of the Alaskan territory in 1867. As shaved ice melted inside the bowl, frost would form on the outside and water would drip down the silver icicles, creating a theatrical presentation for the table. A spoon with a matching polar bear finial and two harpoons as the handle accompanies the bowl.

More from this Artist

Browse Related Artwork

Snake Mask

Yacouba Bondé

Bottle

Unidentified Artist

Hookups

Robert Sherer

Pendant

Sergio Dolfi

Untitled (Blue Chair)

Nellie Mae Rowe

(not entered)

Unidentified Artist

Sun Catcher
Sun Catcher

Howard Finster

Goldweight
Goldweight

Akan Artist, Ghana