Anna Stevenson Van Cortlandt
Coffee Service (partial)
China, Jingdezhen
Porcelain, with gilt and overglaze enamels, c. 1795
AIHA Collection: Gift of Jean Mason Browne [Mrs. Robert Browne], great-granddaughter of Anne Stevenson Van Cortlandt [Mrs. Pierre Van Cortlandt II]

In the 18th century, tea and coffee services were one of the most popular gifts for young and unmarried daughters. In the absence of a family coat-of-arms or crest, the most common way of personalizing a service was to use one's monogram, often within one of a variety of motifs.

This service, featuring the monogram AS within an eight-point gilt star, belonged to Anne Stevenson (1774-1821), daughter of Magdalena Douw Stevenson (1750-1817) and John Stevenson (1734-1810) of Albany. Stevenson is said to have purchased Chinese porcelains from the cargo of the Albany sloop Experiment commanded by Captain Stewart Dean between 1785 and 1787. The star motif was most popular in the late 18th century and may have derived from the stars and sunburst which were part of the American eagle design that found favor in the new republic.

Faience