A native of the metalworking center of Birmingham, England, George Wilkinson served as Gorham Manufacturing Company's chief designer from 1857 until his death in 1894. Following his arrival, the firm's dominant style shifted from Rococo Revival to Neoclassical. Lady's flatware, attributed to Wilkinson, demonstrates the style's propensity for bold shapes and cast or engraved ornament that suggests classical antiquity. The bar-shaped handle of this serving spoon terminates in a woman's hand complete with a ring and a lace cuff that holds an olive branch, a symbol of peace in ancient Rome.

Adapted from

Charles L. Venable, Silver in America, 1840-1940: A Century of Splendor (Dallas, Texas: Dallas Museum of Art; New York, New York; Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1994), 49-50, 327.

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