Magnificent, Marvelous Martelé - University of Louisiana at Lafayette

sauceboats and centerpieces.
A highlight of the exhibition
is a 12-foot dining room
table with a full service setting
for eight. “The table display will
provide museum visitors with a
sense of how these objects were
used,” said John Keefe, curator
of Decorative Arts at the New
Orleans Museum of Art and
organizer of the exhibition.
Another object featured in
Magnificent, Marvelous Martelé
is a massive 32-inch centerpiece,
part of a service commissioned
by millionaire oilman
Harry Ford Sinclair. It took over
500 craftsman hours to create.
It seems to be one of
Robert Shelton’s favorite pieces.
“You can bathe four babies in
it,” he noted, adding that it
weighs 35 pounds. He is a
walking encyclopedia of
Martelé silver information
whose fascination with the artwork
is contagious.
The Gorham firm was
founded in 1831 by Jabez
Gorham, who at the time was a
small provincial jewelry maker. It
would become a mammoth and
influential manufacturer of a
wide variety of silver wares.
Love Cup: 8982, Circa 1897, but completed in
1898, Chaser: Unrecorded, The Jolie and Robert
Shelton Collection
48 LA LOUISIANE | FALL 2005
Robert Shelton attends to details before the exhibition opens.
By 1900, Gorham Manufacturing
was the largest silver manufacturer in
the world and occupied a sprawling
state-of-the-art factory in Providence,
R.I. Throughout its rapid growth and
expansion, the company distinguished
itself by successfully combining the latest
technological advances with exemplary
design.
Martelé, named from the French
verb “to hammer,” was a departure
from Gorham’s machine-made commercial
flatware and hollowware.
Each piece was first created by a
silversmith, then decorated by a chaser.
Because it was handcrafted, Martelé
was expensive. So, it was made in small
quantities, usually as individual pieces
or small sets. No pieces were duplicated;
each is unique.
Buyers were the wealthy of the day.
A single pitcher may have cost $1,500,
three times the cost of a house at the
time, according to Robert Shelton.
It’s estimated that 7,000
to 8,000 pieces were made.
Many were melted for their
silver whenever the price for
silver soared. Only about
1,700 to 1,800 exist today.
University Art Museum’s
5,000-square-foot gallery has
been divided into seven galleries
representing different
periods in the Martelé line’s
evolution and development.
Tullos noted that visiting
the Martelé exhibit can
be relaxing during the busy
holidays.
“When you visit a museum
and spend time with
great works of art, you tend
to leave behind, for just a
few moments, all the things
that may be burdening you.
“Awesome creations like
this Martelé silver collection
can be inspiring and lift you
above whatever you may be
struggling with in your personal
life. It’s an escape, in a
way, an escape to a different
time in history, when things
were simpler.
“You really have to slow
down in this exhibition, too.
It’s not something you can
give a cursory glance and
fully appreciate. The Martelé silver will
draw you in.” ■
PHILIP GOULD
Magnificent, Marvelous Martelé:
American Art Nouveau Silver, The
Jolie and Robert Shelton Collection
runs through Dec. 31.
An innovative MP3 audio tour
of the silver exhibition was developed
by the UL Lafayette College of
the Arts. It is available for download
at http://arts.louisiana.edu
University Art Museum is open
Tuesday through Saturday from 10
a.m. to 5 p.m and on Sunday from
1-5 p.m. It’s closed on Monday. For
general museum information,
phone (337) 482-2ART.
■ www.louisiana.edu/uam