 
Myer Myers was known for his richly ornamented creations in silver and gold, such as this dish ring. More than 100 of his works are on display in the exhibit. |
of Colonial-era Jewish silversmith
The life and work of Myer Myers, the first Jewish silversmith in New York City and one of the most accomplished craftsmen working in pre-industrial America, is the subject of a new exhibit at the Yale University Art Gallery.
"Myer Myers: Jewish Silversmith in Colonial New York" features 104 silver and gold objects created by the craftsman as well as 50 other objects that help place him in the context of the political, economic, social and religious life of New York in the second half of the 18th century.
"Given the ties many of Myers' patrons had to Yale University, as well as his seven-year residence in nearby Norwalk and Stratford, Connecticut, it is fitting that this exhibition should open in New Haven during the year that marks the Tercentennial of Yale's founding," says Jock Reynolds, the Henry J. Heinz II Director of the gallery.
Myers (1723-1795) was the most productive silversmith working in New York during the late Colonial period, and his ritual and secular silver is the largest body of extant work by a Jewish silversmith from anywhere in Europe or America prior to the 19th century.
Myers' renown as an artisan came from his ability to create custom-order work for the wealthiest patrons, according to David Barquist, associate curator of American decorative arts, who organized the exhibit and also wrote much of the accompanying catalogue. "Myers' success as a silversmith was the result of his talents not only as a craftsman but also as an entrepreneur who marshaled the skills of other craftsmen and specialists," he says.
Myers' New York workshop was one of the few that supplied labor-intensive, richly ornamented forms such as candlesticks, pierced bread baskets, covered jugs and cruet stands, and was the only one to produce such specialized work as Torah finials -- three pairs of which are in the Yale display. "Myers' Torah finials are unique examples of 18th-century American Jewish silver," Barquist writes in the catalog. "They are also among the most extraordinary precious-metal objects produced in Colonial America."
Born in New York City, Myers grew up in a religious Jewish family. He registered as a "Goldsmith" in 1746 and set himself up as an independent maker by 1753. His patrons included political, military, financial and social leaders, among them the Reverend Samuel Johnson, a graduate of the Yale Class of 1714 and the founding president of King's College (now Columbia University).
Myers' activities as a silversmith and entrepreneur came to an abrupt halt in the summer of 1776. George Washington had made New York his headquarters, and British troops besieged the city. Myers moved to Norwalk, Connecticut, but in 1779 a British force attacked and burned the town, leaving the residents homeless and Myers without his tools. He and his family settled in Stratford, Connecticut, for the remainder of the Revolutionary War years, and, despite his losses, Myers continued to work as a silversmith. While he adopted the new aesthetic of the new republic's Neoclassical style after the war, Myers was unable to reestablish himself as a merchant-artisan. However, he was elected chair of the newly formed Gold and Silver Smith's Society in 1785, and remained a leader in the Jewish community until his death at the age of 72 in 1795.
In addition to objects created by Myers, the gallery's exhibition features silver and gold objects by some of his contemporaries as well as painted portraits of his patrons, manuscripts, books, maps and other works on paper. The main section of the exhibition explores Myers' stylistic development, while another section surveys the Jewish communities of New York, Philadelphia and Newport, Rhode Island, to which Myers was connected through his family. The third section of the exhibit examines the organization of the silversmith's trade in 18th-century New York.
The catalog accompanying "Myer Myers: Jewish Silversmith in Colonial New York" features essays on the life and career of the craftsman, on life in New York during Myers' era and on "Colonial Judaism."
"Myer Myers: Jewish Silversmith in Colonial New York" will be on view through Dec. 30. The exhibit was designed by Stephen Saitas, who also contributed to the transformation of the American galleries earlier this year.
The gallery is hosting a number of special programs in conjunction with the new exhibit. The first of these will take place on Thursday, Sept. 20, at 4 p.m. Barquist will discuss the exhibition in "Art at Four." The event is free and open to the public. Information about upcoming activities will appear in future issues of the Yale Bulletin & Calendar.
The Yale University Art Gallery, located at 1111 Chapel St., is open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sunday, 1-6 p.m. An entrance for persons using wheelchairs is located at 201 York St. For recorded general and program information, call (203) 432-0600 or visit the gallery's website at www.yale.edu/artgallery.
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