Gale 1853 Sterling Silver Footed Centerpiece Bowl Basket

William Gale 1853 sterling silver basket/ centerpiece bowl with ornate handle, on which is engraved the name  "Hannah Louise Cranel," as well as rims at the base and on the top with decorative and geometric patterns. It measures  11'' in diameter by 10 1/2'' in height approximately with the lifted handle (4'' without), weighs 26.9 ozt, and bears hallmarks as shown. 

The founder of the firm was William Gale (1799-1867) who invented and patented in 1826 a process for making spoons with ornamental patterns by cutting the ornament on rollers, both the upper and the lower rollers being cut with the pattern. This made the production of pattern spoons much less expensive than the former method of hand hammering patterns by the use of dies.

William Gale was succeeded in the business by his son William Gale Jr. (1825-1885) who, after a few years, ceded the control of the firm to H.B. Dominick & Leroy B. Haff until 1928 when the business was purchased by Reed & Barton. Some of Gale’s works belong to museum collections, such as those of the Brooklyn Museum.