Music box, Steamboat Commonwealth
John Dean Benton, Providence, Rhode Island, ca 1864 |
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This magnificent object is unquestionably one of the rare gems of the Museum's collection, and one of a small number (probably under 20, some of which may no longer exist) of precious-metal models, mounted on music boxes, made by goldsmith John Dean Benton. The model, made of 18-carat gold and coin silver, features especially fine anchors, paddle-box "fans" and lunettes, chain guys, curved ladders, fretwork railing, window sash, panels, beam engine, fire buckets, and pump. It is also reported to have a silver service on the saloon. The model is mounted on a wooden base that houses a music box that plays ten tunes popular in the 1860s. As the music box operates, a clockwork mechanism operates the paddlewheel and walking beam.
The Norwich and New London Steamboat Company presented this model to the Commonwealth’s captain, Jerome Wheeler Williams, in 1864. Captain Williams was a distinguished figure in maritime circles for nearly fifty years. None of his ships ever suffered a serious accident. |
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