Charleston Loan Exhibition

38 Alexander Petrie (Scottish-born, ca. 1717–1768) Pair of spoons Charleston, SC, ca. 1760 Silver H. 1 x W. 1¾ x L. 8¼ inches Engraved: DMP over JG on handle; stamped: AP four times on reverse Historic Charleston Foundation, Charleston, SC, 2007.018.1 Alexander Petrie (Scottish-born, 1717–1768) Alms basin Charleston, SC, ca. 1740/1765 Silver H. 1 ‹/* x Diam. 8 fi/* inches Engraved in center: The Gift of HENRY MIDDLETON Esq./ to S t Georges Church in Dorchester/1755 and Presented to/ St. Michaels Church/by/ Henry Middleton Esq r ./ Charleston S.C. April 1871 ; stamped: AP four times in a cross configuration around center punch Lent by St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, Charleston, SC Alexander Petrie operated a profitable establishment, located prominently “on the Bay,” selling fashionable imported English plate, jewelry and watches, in addition to Charleston-made silver items, including articles for trade with American Indians. Established in the city by the early 1740s, he was among the many Scottish craftsmen and merchants who immigrated to Charleston. The documented workers in Petrie’s shop include Erskine Heron (dates unknown), who apprenticed with notable Edinburgh clockmaker George Monro (1743–1804), and Abraham, an enslaved silversmith. 1 The extant objects bearing Petrie’s maker’s mark were closely based on London models, encouraging patronage for his Charleston-made plate from a clientele that often favored English wares. These spoons, marked four times to mimic the London hallmarking system, would have been placed on the table with the bowl facing down; the owners initials, engraved on the reverse of the handle, and Petrie’s marks would have prominently faced upward on the table. The alms basin is by far the most successful extant silver article produced in Petrie’s shop. While it has been compared to French jattes (basins) and strawberry dishes, Petrie’s alms basin surpasses that which he imitated. The undulating rim gives the illusion of a ribbon loosely gathered around the flat dedication panel, drawing attention to the engraving of the patron’s name in the center. The alms basis, used to collect monetary offerings from the congregation, was commissioned by the prominent planter Henry Middleton (1717–1784) for the St. George’s Parish church in Dorchester, a town outside of Charleston near his family seat at Middleton Place. At the age of thirty-eight, Middleton may have ordered the alms basin to commemorate his appointment to the South Carolina Council by the Crown in 1755, or perhaps to celebrate the addition of the church’s imposing new bell tower, completed circa 1754. After changing ownership several times, the alms basin was acquired by Henry Augustus Middleton (1793–1878), great-grandson of Henry Middleton and presented to St. Michael’s Episcopal Church. 2 BSC 1. For more information, see Brandy Culp, “Mr. Petrie’s ‘Shop on the Bay,’” Antiques and Fine Art (7th Anniversary issue, 2007), 250–255. 2. Recorded in St. Michael’s minutes on April 21, 1871, the vestry “Resolved that the Rector be requested to host a special Collection for the purpose of raising the amount required for the support of the Best engraving.” Sometime afterward, the basin received the second inscription. St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, Charleston, Vestry Minutes, 1865–1878 , April 21, 1871. Accessed at New York Public Library.