Gorham Martele 0.9584 Silver Tray from 1912 in Art Nouveau Style
Gorham Martele 0.9584 (higher purity than sterling) silver two-handled tray, beautifully hand-chased, and in Art Nouveau style with floral and natural motifs. It measures 21 1/4'' from handle to handle by 13 3/4'' in width by 1 1/8'' in height, weighs 63.8 troy ounces, and bears hallmarks and a monogram as shown. Completed on March 28th, 1912, it was made by Henry Barker who spent 48 hours making it. The chasing was made by Ernest W. Regester and took over 60 hours.
During the heyday of American silver manufacturing–approximately 1850 to 1940–Gorham was one of the most influential. The White House has used Gorham silver services during many administrations. Mary Todd Lincoln purchased an impressive tea and flatware service for use in the White House in 1859. Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant asked Gorham to commemorate the country's one-hundredth anniversary with a spectacular Century Vase that contained over 2,000 oz (57,000 g) of sterling silver, and in 1899, it produced a grand "loving cup" composed of 70,000 dimes was designed for Admiral George Dewey. Colonel Henry Jewett Furber placed the largest single commission Gorham ever received for what became known as the famous Furber service. The opulent 740-piece service represents Victorian era dining at its most elaborate. The monumental silver and parcel-gilt "Neptune" epergne made for Furber as part of this service was displayed at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876. Gorham artisans also sculpted the famous monument of George Washington in the Capitol's Rotunda.
Gorham Martelé is widely considered one of the greatest achievements in American silversmithing, and for good reason. Introduced by the Gorham Manufacturing Company in the late 1890s, it was a bold, artistic rebellion against the industrialization of the era. The name Martelé comes from the French word for "hammered," and that's the heart of it. Every piece was hand-hammered by a single master craftsman from start to finish — a deliberate rejection of industrial manufacturing at a time when mass production was taking over.
Gorham used a higher silver content than standard sterling. Martelé is .9584 fine silver (compared to sterling's .925), making it softer, more workable, and with a distinctively warm, slightly matte surface. This higher purity made the metal softer and more malleable, which was essential for the intense hand-hammering required to achieve its fluid, organic shapes. Rather than polishing pieces to a smooth, mirror finish, Gorham intentionally left the undulating texture of hand-hammering visible. This gives every piece a rippling, organic quality — almost like the surface of water — that no machine could replicate. In an age where most silver was being mass-produced by machines and drop-presses, every Martelé piece was hand-raised from a single flat sheet of silver. Because no machines were used, no two pieces are identical. Each was a unique work of art reflecting the individual "hand" of the silversmith.This technique is closer to 17th and 18th century silversmithing than modern manufacturing.
Martelé was produced roughly 1897–1912, right at the height of the Art Nouveau movement. The forms are sinuous and nature-inspired — irises, waves, dragonflies, flowing female figures — and because each piece was made by hand, the design could grow organically as the craftsman worked, rather than being dictated by a mold.
Gorham showed Martelé at the 1900 Paris Exposition (World’s Fair), where it competed directly with European luxury houses like Tiffany & Co. and Christofle. The line won a Grand Prix, proving American craftsmanship could rival Europe’s best. A single large piece like a punch bowl or ewer could take hundreds of hours to complete. Gorham employed a small team of highly skilled European silversmiths specifically for this line, and production numbers were always very low. Martelé is now highly sought by major museums and collectors, and pieces regularly appear at auction for tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars.
In short, it's special because it's genuinely handmade luxury at its most uncompromising — art objects that happen to be functional, at a moment in history when that was becoming increasingly rare.
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