Richard Lee: Pewterer

Ron Patch gave a dynamic presentation on Richard Lee: Pewterer to a standing room only crowd at the new location of Springfield Historical Society in North Springfield on Saturday.

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Richard Lee: Pewterer Submitted by admin on Thu, 02/25/2016 - 3:17pm The Richard Lee collection back behind glass at the Springfield Historical Society. Photo by Donna Allen BY DONNA ALLEN The Shopper SPRINGFIELD, Vt. – Ron Patch gave a dynamic presentation on Richard Lee: Pewterer to a standing room only crowd at the new location of Springfield Historical Society in North Springfield on Saturday. After being introduced by Bunni Putnam, President of the Springfield Historical Society, Patch told the crowd that he was thrilled to help the Society move the collection from the Miller Art center to their new location. For the first time in 45 years the Lee pewter was removed from behind the glass. Patch had wanted to see and handle the pewter for years and now had his chance. This was the first time he had handled the collection. He took detailed close-ups of the different Lee hallmarks – a makers stamp or brand - and other details. The collection included numerous pewter porringers, basins, ladles, plates, a few brass ladles and one skimmer, all marked R. Lee, Richard Lee or RL. Scholars have yet to determine which marks are Richard Lee Sr. and which are Richard Lee Jr. Pewter is a soft metal made of several alloys. The base metal is tin combined with copper, antimony or bismuth. The tin content is 95% or more. Pewter has existed since the days of the Egyptians and in the 18th century it was widely used for utilitarian items around the world. Richard Lee Sr. and Richard Lee Jr. were two pewterers in Springfield, Vermont. Richard Lee Sr. was born in Scituate, Massachusetts in 1747 and died in North Springfield, Vermont in 1823. Richard Lee Jr. was born in Rehoboth, Massachusetts in 1775. The elder Lee was an itinerant pewterer working in several New England towns including Springfield, Vt. and Grafton, N.H. and in Massachusetts and Rhode Island from 1773-1823. He is best known for his varied porringers, but he also made flatware, although much less frequently plates and teapots. A porringer is a small bowl from which soup, porridge, bread and milk can be eaten. His son Richard Jr. also worked in Springfield for about 20 years. “The Lee pewter collection was donated to SAHS by the estate of Mark LaFountain in 1969. LaFountain was an early collector of colonial antiques and is known to have done business with Wallace Nutting. LaFountain’s collection was sold at auction at his home in Springfield in 1969. To this day it is one of the finest collections to come to market in New England,” said Patch. In the Springfield Historical Society collection are two engraved teapots hallmarked “Lee & Creesy.” Much information has come to light since the days of the pioneer collectors. The Springfield Historical Society is open Saturdays, from 1 - 4 p.m. They are located in the Cota & Cota building on Rte. 106 in North Springfield. Admission is free, but donations are gratefully accepted. Phone: 802-886-7935 or call Putnam’s at 802-886-8430 - See more at: http://www.vermontjournal.com/content/richard-lee-pewterer#sthash.Suu1sbgA.dpuf