Following the Revolutionary War, a new decorative style emerged in America in the neo-classical taste which was symbolized by the classical urn form. Evocative of associations with classical ideals, the style was particularly popular in silver. Restrained elegance was the hallmark of the new aesthetic which also featured geometric shapes and delicacy of ornament. Beading or “pearling” and pierced galleries served to outline and emphasize the forms, and developed as regional design elements in the Philadelphia area. This set was made by Joseph Richardson, Jr., one of that city’s most accomplished craftsmen, and member of a Quaker family dynasty of silversmiths who dominated the trade there throughout the eighteenth century. It was originally owned by Joseph Hiester (1752 - 1832) of Reading, Pennsylvania, who married Elizabeth Whitman in 1771. A noted public servant of Pennsylvania German heritage, Hiester served as militia captain in the Revolution, as a member of both the State and U.S. House of Representatives from 1780 - 1820, and as Governor of Pennsylvania from 1820 - 1823.
