Centerpiece Bowl, about 1920
Marie Zimmerman (1878–1972)
Silver
8 1/8 in. high, 16 1/2 in. long, 12 5/8 in. wide
Signed and inscribed (with touches, on the bottom): MARIE ZIMMERMAN—MAKER / STERLING
Marie Zimmerman was one of the most talented metalworkers and jewelry designers of the Arts & Crafts period in the United States. Although she is well known for her bowls and vases in copper, she also produced a wide variety of objects in other metals and often used unusual patinas, as well as appliques of coral, exotic stones, enamel, and other materials.
Zimmerman made many objects in silver, but none likely bigger than the present centerpiece, which is certainly one of her largest in any medium. Since no other silver bowl of this form has come to light, it is likely the one, along with a set of four tall candlesticks, that Zimmerman made in 1921 as a wedding present for Chicago meat-packing heiress Lolita Armour on the occasion of her marriage to Chicagoan John J. Mitchell, Jr.