Highly Important Zabriskie Family Engraved Pewter Tankard, Attributed to Francis Bassett I, New York, dated 1728

Inscribed WHEN THIS YOU SEE REMEMBER ME, JZ/CZ, and 1728.

Joost Zabriskie (1687-1756) and Christine Mabie (Meby) (1692-1733), Hackensack, Bergen County, New Jersey;
Tankard given to eldest daughter Machteltje (Matilda) Zabriskie (1715-1765) who married Sylvester Earle to their descendants in Middletown, Connecticut;
Donald H. Ladd Antiques, Hampton, Connecticut.

Traveling Exhibition, Dutch-American Colonial Arts, Rotterdam, Netherlands, Museum Boymans van Beuningen; Groningen, Netherlands, Groningen Museum (Fine Arts); New York, The New York Historical Society and the Museum of American Folk Art; Albany, New York, Albany Institute of History & Art, February 1, 1982 - April 1, 1983;
Albany, New York, Albany Institute of History & Art, Remembrance of Patria: Dutch Arts and Culture in Colonial America, May 9 - August 24, 1986.

Roderic H. Blackburn and Ruth Piwonka, Remembrance of Patria: Dutch Arts and Culture in Colonial America 1609-1776, (Albany, New York: Albany Institute of History and Art, 1988), p. 157, no. 155;
Donald Fennimore, "A True American Stuart Tankard - Maybe," Pewter Collector's Club Bulletin, vol. 7, April 1977, no. 5

Wear commensurate with age and use. Residue to the recesses. The foot and body are slightly misshaped in areas, as consistent with use. Small 1/2 inch crack visible below the flower to the right of the word "SEE," and another slightly smaller crack is visible right of "J.Z."
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

This elaborately engraved tankard, attributed to Francis Bassett I (1690-1758), is one of only two surviving examples of early eighteenth century pewter with New Jersey history. Bassett I apprenticed with William Horsewell and became a freeman in 1718. Joost Zabriskie (1687-1756) was the son of Albert Zabriskie (1638–1711) a Lutheran from the Duchy of Prussia (present day Russia). He settled in Hackensack, New Jersey in 1662. Joost became a member of the Dutch Reformed Church of Hackensack, New Jersey, April 8, 1711. The companion piece to this tankard is a desert dish with Zabriskie family history that is dated 1728 and has identical engraving and is inscribed JZ and CZ. It sold at Freeman's, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, American Furniture, Decorative & Folk Art, April 19, 2009, lot 31 for $85,000 and is now in the collection of Winterthur Museum (acc. no. 2009.0020) For additional information on Francis Bassett I Ledlie LIrwin Laughlin, Pewter in America: its Makers and Their Marks, Vol. 2, (Barre, MA: Barre Publishers, 1969), p. 5-8. For a discussion about the dish see Charles F. Montgomery, A History of American Pewter, (New York: Praeger, 1973), fig. 8-9, p. 142.