IMPORTANT AMERICAN SILVER PRESENTATION VASE COMMEMORATING BVT. CAPT. GEORGE W. AYERS (1821–1847), KILLED AT THE BATTLE OF EL MOLINO DEL REY DURING THE MEXICAN AMERICAN WAR

ONE OF THE GREAT MASTERPIECES OF EARLY AMERICAN SILVERWORK

Bailey and Co., Philadelphia. circa 1847–1848. Solid Silver, raised, cast, chased, and repoussé; applied chains; on a square plinth with figural supports.

A richly modeled, globular presentation vase in the patriotic Rococo manner. The front is framed by bold acanthus and floral repoussé forming a reserve beneath a cast American eagle. Three scalloped strap‑like leaves descend to a square base populated by four fully modeled horses in harness, each with a delicate applied chain. At the corners of the base stand short cylindrical posts resembling artillery muzzles, alluding to the honoree’s branch of service.

The vase is engraved: “To / BRVᵗ CAPTAIN GEORGE W. AYERS. / 3rd Regᵗ. U. S. Artillery, / Who fell at the Storming of / EL MOLINO DEL REY, MEXICO. / This Vase / His Friends in Philada. / Designed; to reward / A Living Hero’s merit, / Finished; alas! a tribute / To his Memory.”

George Washington Ayers (West Point Class of 1841) served with the 3rd U.S. Artillery through the Mexican–American War, was brevetted captain for heroism at the Battle of Monterey (23 September 1846), and was killed at the storming of El Molino del Rey on 8 September 1847, aged twenty‑six. The battle, among the bloodiest actions before the fall of Mexico City, was fought on the western approaches to Chapultepec; U.S. losses were heavy, and contemporary accounts singled out officers of the 3rd Artillery who fell in the assault, including Ayers.

Period newspaper notices and the vase’s engraved inscription suggest that it was originally commissioned to commemorate Ayers’ conspicuous gallantry at the Battle of Monterey, where he was credited with capturing a Mexican flag and raising the American colors under fire. Intended as a celebratory testimonial to a “Living Hero’s merit,” the work was likely still in progress when news of Ayers’ death at Molino del Rey reached Philadelphia. The piece was completed instead as a memorial, its design and inscription forever marked by the poignancy of Ayers’ changed fortune.

Commemorative silver from the Mexican–American War is scarce and survives far less frequently than similar Civil War presentation pieces. This vase is one of the more significant surviving examples of presentation silver from the antebellum era. Its monumental scale, masterful execution, and iconography embody the highest ambitions of early American silverwork in the mid-nineteenth century.

Note: This lot cannot be packaged and shipped in-house. Successful bidders winning items marked as being packaged and shipped by a third-party service are responsible for paying the third party directly. We are happy to offer complimentary drop-off service to local third-party packing/shipping companies in Columbus, Ohio.

[Mexican War, Mexican-American War, Seminole Wars, Florida Wars] [Relics, Militaria] [Art, Folk Art, Military Art, Etching, Engraving, Lithographs, Prints, Ephemera]