Marquand and Co.

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Marquand and Company was a New York–based U.S. silverware firm that operated from 1804 to 1838. Founded by Isaac Marquand in New York City and Savannah, Georgia, the company specialized in ornate silver pieces like tea services, tongs, pitchers, trays, and gravy boats, sold through a New York department store and across the country.

Isaac built a thriving business and bought works from other silversmiths. In 1824 his son Frederick took over the firm, which was headquartered at 166 Broadway and earned a reputation as one of the country’s leading jewelers. The Marquand family became prominent philanthropists: Frederick helped found Pequot Library, and his brother Henry Gurdon Marquand helped establish the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Marquand and Co. produced many notable pieces, including helmet-shaped gravy boats (1833–1839) and elaborate full-service tea sets. Frederick’s prominence in New York’s jewelry world and the firm’s high-quality work helped put American silver on the map, with pieces later entering major museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Winterthur.

In 1838 Frederick sold the business to his apprentices, William Black and Henry Ball, who renamed it Black, Ball, and Co. The successor firm eventually became Black, Starr & Frost. The Marquands’ wealth funded real estate and other ventures, and their silver remained collectible, with pieces found in museums and private collections in the Northeast and, owing to Frederick’s Savannah start, the South.