DeMatteo (?) Georg Jensen Blossom Style Sterling Silver 4-Piece Tea & Coffee Set

In the style of Georg Jensen's Blossom pattern, possibly by William DeMatteo, sterling silver, handmade and hand-hammered 4-piece tea and coffee set, adorned with stylized floral motifs, consisting of: 

• a teapot measuring in 6'' height by 8 1/2'' from handle to spout
• a coffeepot measuring 8 1/2'' in height by 7 1/2'' from handle to spout
• a creamer measuring 2 7/8'' in height by 6 1/8'' from handle to spout
• a covered sugar bowl measuring 4 1/2'' in height (3'' without the lid) by 4 1/2'' in diameter

Each piece bears hallmarks as shown. Total weight is 67.3 troy ounces. 

William Lawrence deMatteo (1923–1988), silversmith and master craftsman, was the son of William Gaitano deMatteo, an accomplished silversmith who immigrated to the US from Italy.  DeMatteo began studying sculpture and fine arts at Columbia University in 1941, but after the United States entered World War II he joined the navy in November 1942. After World War 2, Bill deMatteo visited the restored capital of colonial Virginia while he was still in the service and asked to see the silversmith's shop. Told that Colonial Williamsburg had none, he saw an opportunity for himself. Soon after deMatteo left the navy, he returned to Williamsburg and in July 1953 joined the staff as a silversmith.

In accord with Colonial Williamsburg's motto—that the future may learn from the past—deMatteo spent much of his time in educational and advertising efforts. In 1956, he published The Silversmith in Eighteenth-Century Williamsburg–An Account of his Life & Times, & of his Craft, a short history of silversmithing and techniques used in colonial days. His devotion to excellence was acknowledged by the American Institute of Architects, which in 1960 gave him its craftsmanship medal for high achievement in industrial arts. 

As his skill became apparent to staff and visitors, deMatteo received many requests to design and craft commemorative gifts. A town-crier's bell that he made for Colonial Williamsburg to present to Sir Winston Churchill in 1955 appeared in a picture of Churchill on the cover of Life magazine the following year. DeMatteo designed presentation pieces for the White House Correspondents' Association annual presentations to Presidents John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard M. Nixon, Gerald R. Ford, and Jimmy Carter. In 1975 he became the first American craftsman to be elected an honorary foreign associate of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, in London. The Department of State commissioned deMatteo to craft silver trays for presentation to Egyptian president Anwar Sadat and Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin at the Camp David Accords in 1978. After twenty-six years with Colonial Williamsburg, in 1979 deMatteo left and moved with his family to Alexandria. Together with his son, Chip deMatteo, and Philip Thorp, a colleague at Colonial Williamsburg, he opened Hand & Hammer Silversmiths. He passed away in 1988.

Please feel free to ask us any questions, and please see our other listings. NO published price will beat ours. We hand polish all items before shipping them out, but if there is interest for a professional polishing and/or engraving removal, we can take care of that for an additional charge and with delayed shipping.