Paul Revere, Jr. Ladle (American) Ladle is 5.5" long with an ebony handle. Stamped "PR", sitting atop a folded sample weaving, in custom case. $8,000-12,000 Provenance: M.S. Rau Antiques, June 7, 2016, New Orleans, LA. Private Collection, Anacortes, WA.

Paul Revere Jr. was born to Apollos Revoire, or Paul Revere Sr., in Boston in 1734. His father emigrated alone to colonial Boston in 1715 at age 13 & apprenticed under the highly skilled goldsmith John Coney, where he developed great skill & a keen eye for design; a trade he would pass on to his son. Eventually he opened his own goldsmithing shop under the
anglicized name “Paul Revere,” & when Revere Jr. was only 19, his father passed away, leaving him his trade.
By the 1760s, Revere had built up a thriving silver shop. His scope of talent was wide; making everything from buttons for artisans, communion dishes for churches & tea sets & salvers for Boston’s elite. He was one of the few
American smiths who could complete a work from raw ingot to finished item, including the engraving. It was this skill that earned him work decorating pieces for other silversmiths, including engraving
the plates used for Massachusetts’ earliest paper money.
Revere’s business was repeatedly disrupted by the political unrest leading up to the Revolutionary War. England was heavily taxing the American colonists in order to pay off her debt incurred during the French & Indian War. This put a squeeze on the economy & had a negative impact on Revere’s shop. At the time, a complete sterling silver tea set could cost as much as half the price of a house, & many could no longer afford such luxury items due to the Crown’s taxation. As a serious craftsman & businessman, he felt a duty to help his country find manufacturing economic freedom. It was Revere’s silversmithing & his aspirations for the future of his business that largely motivated him to become
involved in the Revolution. His involvement would prove to be crucial in many ways beyond his midnight ride. His expertise in silver came in handy, in particular his engraving skills, when he began engraving political cartoons. Revere’s engravings were invaluable to the movement. Bostonians might not read a political pamphlet, but they could
glance at one of his cartoons & understand the political message immediately.
After serving his country, Revere resumed his role at the forefront of American silver.
Revere’s silver work is often divided into two periods separated by the war. His pre-Revolutionary works display the lingering influence of the Rococo with flowing, curvilinear forms, scrolling handles & chased foliate decoration. His post-Revolutionary works are mainly neoclassical in style. - M.S. Rau Antiques, LA.

Ladle shows age, weaving appears excellent.