The Martele line of handwrought silver in the Art Nouveau
style by the Gorham Manufacturing Company is justly regarded as a major
expression of that style on this side of the Atlantic Ocean. Officially introduced
at the influential Paris Exposition Universelle of 1900, Martele silver was
widely admired, and was awarded a Grand Prix and many gold medals.
The excitement created in 1900 by the new artiste line of
Martele silver was rekindled by an exhibition of nearly three hundred works
from the collection of Jolie and Robert Shelton. The collection of the
Sheltons covers the history of this celebrated line from historical and
aesthetic viewpoints, providing a rich visual record of this dazzling
accomplishment in American silver.
The
book is the catalogue of the traveling museum with numerous photographs and
descriptions of the collection items.
The book is a standard for the collector of Martele silver.