Medallions by the Gorham Manufacturing Company. Providence, U.S., late 19th century

Medallions by GORHAM MANUFACTURING COMPANY. Providence, U.S., late 19th century.
“Michelangelo” and “Benvenuto Cellini.”
Patinated bronze.
Provenance: Lenox/Gorham corporate collection, Gorham Factory, Providence. Later auctioned at Christie’s
These two medallions adorned the lobby of the Gorham Manufacturing Company. The Michelangelo plaque can be seen in a late 19th-century photograph of the Gorham design room (see additional photo).
Bibliography:
- “Bronces and Bronze Casting,” Gorham Manufacturing Company, Providence, 1893, p. 1.
- John Webster Keefe and Samuel J. Hough, *Magnificent, Marvelous American Art Nouveau Silver*, 2001, p. 2, illustration of Michelangelo.
Measurements: 67 cm (diameter of each); 78 x 78 cm (frame).

In the early 20th century, the prestigious Gorham Manufacturing Company made artistic bronze one of the hallmarks of its production, creating sculptures, reliefs, and decorative elements designed to beautify both interiors and gardens. The importance the firm placed on these works was evident at its historic Elmwood headquarters, where visitors were greeted by large relief plaques dedicated to universal figures such as Benvenuto Cellini and Michelangelo—precisely the figures depicted in the medallions now on offer. Founded in 1831 in Providence, Rhode Island, Gorham became the world’s largest silver manufacturer and played a decisive role in the development of American artistic casting, enabling the country’s great sculptors to produce their works in the United States. Its castings achieved national recognition through such iconic monuments as the one dedicated to the Civil War in Gettysburg (1885), cementing bronze’s prestige as a noble, durable material that is particularly prized for both monumental sculpture and the decorative arts.

The pair of medallions presented here also boasts an exceptional provenance. It was part of the historic Lenox/Gorham corporate collection, comprising sculptures, silverware, porcelain, and decorative arts that for decades adorned the headquarters of both companies. This collection, dispersed for the first time by Brown-Forman Corporation, the former parent company of Lenox, brought together some of the most representative pieces in Gorham’s history. Following Lenox’s acquisition of the firm in 1991, nearly 2,000 silver works, along with sketches, models, and historical archives, were incorporated into the Museum of the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and other prestigious American institutions, underscoring the extraordinary historical and collectible value of these medallions as direct testimonies to the legacy of one of the most important manufacturers in the history of American decorative arts.