Collection Highlights
Proposed Coat of Arms for New Amsterdam, New Netherland: Preparatory Drawing for a Presentation to the Dutch West India Company
Date:
ca. 1630
Object Number:
1885.5
Medium:
Black ink and wash, watercolor, red and black chalk, and red gouache, with contours incised by a stylus on laid on paper, mounted on card
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Museum Collections
Luce Center
Ladle
Object Number:
1951.287
Date:
ca. 1790
Medium:
Silver
Dimensions:
Overall: 14 1/2 x 4 x 2 5/8 in. ( 36.8 x 10.2 x 6.7 cm )
Marks:
"SPERO MELIORA" is engraved on the handle in a banner above the crest.
Gallery Label:
The Livingston family acquired silver in the United States and Paris. Robert R. Livingston himself owned several works made by prominent New York City silversmiths. As was the custom, the family's silver tableware, including this ladle, was marked with one of two variations of the Livingston crest. Interestly, the family used both an older Scottish motto "Si Je Puis" (If I Can) and then the subsquent "Spero Meliora" (I hope for better things). The use of heraldry distinguished the Livingston family as one of the oldest and grandest in New York.
Credit Line:
Gift of Goodhue Livingston
Place Made:
North America, U.S.A.
Due to ongoing research, information about this object is subject to change.
