AMERICAN ORIGINALS
18th Century Colonial
Painted Firkin  

New England, probably Hingham, Massachusetts, ca. 1780.

A rare Revolutionary War–generation firkin in its original thinly applied and beautifully worn sage-green paint, made of pine and hardwoods. Expertly coopered with staved sides, a shaped bentwood swing-handle, and joinery secured by rosehead and T-head nails with wooden pegs.

This classic early example is a forerunner to the later 19th-century Hingham firkins produced in great quantity. Its form reflects the hand and imagination of an initial designer, practical yet graceful, embodying early American ideals of utility, simplicity, and endurance. Sustainability at its finest, it carries the character and beauty of age while remaining ready for centuries more service.

A desirable small size, and broad base, just 7 inches high to the lid, 11 inches to the top of the handle, an object you can hold today as its first Revolutionary-era owner once did.

Provenance: Sam Forsythe, Columbus, Ohio; personal collection of David Schorsch, Woodbury, Connecticut.