Silver from the Rizza Collection

Telfair Museums is pleased to announce the donation of a major collection of American and English silver from Dr. Frank Rizza and his family. Ranging in dates from the 18th to the 20th centuries, the collection includes a large variety of hollow and flat ware, including tea services, trays, coffee pots, epergne, toast rack, candlesticks, cruet set, tea and coffee urns, porringers, sauce boats, and many items included in their original cases, such as a 173-piece flatware service made by Tiffany and Company for the Kress family, which is housed within a custom-made cabinet.

Other noteworthy items include a chocolate pot with cover by Samuel Kirk & Son of Baltimore, inscribed “M. Telfair to S.H.K.”, representing Telfair Museums founder Mary Telfair or her sister Margaret, and Sarah Hull Kollock, all of Savannah; a silver spoon by the famed American patriot and silversmith Paul Revere; and, an early 19th century solid silver epergne made by the English silversmith Matthew Boulton. In addition, a number of objects made in England by important silversmiths including Paul Storr, the Batemans, and Paul De Lamerie. Many of these pieces were included in the successful 2010 exhibition The Story of Silver in Savannah: Creating and Collecting since the 18th Century. The Rizza donation increases the Telfair’s silver holdings by approximately 20% and significantly enhances the stature of the collection. Beginning on March 23, silver and decorative arts lovers will have the opportunity to view the fine Rizza collection, which includes over 150 lots, at the Jepson Center.

Born and raised in Savannah, Dr. Frank Rizza graduated from Benedictine Military School, Emory University and the Medical College of Georgia. He served two years in a MASH hospital in Korea for the U. S. Army Medical Corps. Upon his return to the United States, Dr. Rizza completed his general and pediatric surgery residencies and embarked upon a 36-year private practice in New Orleans. From 1968-1996, Dr. Rizza also owned and operated St. Charles Antiques, Limited, an antiques store that specialized in English furniture, oriental porcelain, and silver in New Orleans. He and his family have collected silver for decades and are pleased to place their silver treasures with the Telfair where they can be enjoyed now and in the future by Savannahians and visitors to the community.

————————————-

Related Programs 

Jepson Center

Reception: Celebrating a silver donation from Dr. Frank Rizza and Family
April 16 / 5 pm
Free for members. Please RSVP to Jessie Kotarski at 912.790.8866 or kotarskij@telfair.org.

Gallery Talk with Curator Tania Sammons
Monday, April 22 / 1 pm
Free for members or with museum admisison.

————————————

Hester Bateman (English, 1708-94, active London 1761-90); Creamer, 1788, 4 1/2 x 4 1/2 inches; Sugar Basket, 1782; 5 x 3 7/8 inches.