Hester Bateman

English (1709–1794)
Cream Jug, 1782–83
Salver, 1787–88
Sugar Bowl, 1782–83
Teapot, 1782–83
Silver
Museum purchases     96.25.1 & 96.25.2.1–.3

Hester Bateman registered her own maker’s mark with the London Goldsmiths in 1761 upon the death of her husband in order to continue his silversmith business.  Bateman also trained her children to become skilled craftsmen, and by the 1780s the Bateman company held a solid reputation for high-quality, elegant designs.  Hester Bateman continued working until her retirement in 1790 at the age of eighty-one, and was widely recognized as one of England’s finest woman silversmiths.  These objects are an excellent example of the distinguishing characteristics of her work: extraordinary craftsmanship that combines graceful line and classical simplicity.