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Gallery Text

A Legacy of Generosity and Service: Daniel A. Pollack (1939–2019)

Daniel A. Pollack (Harvard College A.B. ’60, University of Oxford M.A. ’62, Harvard Law School LL.B. ’65) pursued his education and passions with remarkable aplomb. One of the foremost trial lawyers in the United States, he also painted watercolors and collected early American paintings and silver. He served on many boards and advisory groups for the Harvard Art Museums, including as longtime chair of the American Art committee until his death. This arcade gallery bears his name along with his wife’s, Susan F. Pollack (Harvard College A.B. ’64, Harvard Law School LL.B. ’67), as a testament to their unflagging support of art and art education.

In 2020, Susan Pollack made a transformative gift of her husband’s collection of 18th-century American silver, to honor his life and his support of American art at Harvard. Most of the works from the gift are in the neighboring case. Six works of ecclesiastical silver are on view in the silver cabinet (Gallery 2340) on this floor. We are grateful for Daniel Pollack’s legacy of generosity and service, which has allowed us to tell a nuanced and hemispheric story of design, global luxury, international trade, and labor.

[2020.185, 2020.188, 2020.190, 2020.191, 2020.192, 2020.193, 2020.196, 2020.198, 2020.199, 2020.201, 2020.202, 2020.204]

Identification and Creation

Object Number
2020.188
People
William Cowell Sr., American (Boston 1682 - 1736 Boston)
Title
Pepper Box
Classification
Vessels
Work Type
vessel
Date
1725-1736
Places
Creation Place: North America, United States, Massachusetts, Boston
Culture
American
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/369955

Location

Location
Level 2, Room 2410, South Arcade
View this object's location on our interactive map

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Silver
Dimensions
9.8 cm (3 7/8 in.)
60 g
Inscriptions and Marks
  • monogram: base, engraved: A / I.M. [likely the monogram of James and Mary Avery]
  • monogram: base, engraved: AEY
  • maker's mark: base, stamped: [pellet, star, pellet] / WC / [pellet] [mark of William Cowell Sr.]
  • maker's mark: on body, stamped: [pellet, star, pellet] / WC / [pellet] [mark of William Cowell Sr.]

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Probably James and Mary (nee Willet) Avery, Boston, 18th century. [1] Sold [through Christie's, New York, January 17, 2008, lot 164]. Daniel and Susan Pollack, gift; to Harvard Art Museums, 2020

Notes
[1] The monogram is likely that of James and Mary Avery based on a cup by Cowell ll with the same monogram descended from them. See Patricia Kane, "Colonial Massachusetts Silversmiths and Jewelers: A Biographical Dictionary based on the Notes of Francis Hill Bigelow & John Marshall Phillips" (1998), p. 351

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, The Pollack Collection, gift of Daniel A. Pollack AB ’60 and Susan F. Pollack AB ’64
Accession Year
2020
Object Number
2020.188
Division
European and American Art
Contact
am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
Cylindrical body, a scroll handle with a beaded rattail. The cover is pierced with a finial.

Publication History

  • Important American Silver, auct. cat., Christie's, New York (New York, January 17, 2008), p. 135, lot 164, repr.
  • Jeanne Sloane, Early American Silver in the collection of Daniel A. Pollack, Privately Published (Boston [?], 2019), cat. no. 9, repr.

Exhibition History

  • 32Q: 2410 South Arcade, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 07/25/2022 - 01/01/2050

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of European and American Art at am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu