Which inscription completes 'Townsend and ______, ____ RI' with the correct location?

Which inscription completes 'Townsend and ______, ____ RI' with the correct location?

• A. Townsend and Goddard, Providence RI
• B. Townsend and Goddard, New York
• C. Townsend and Goddard, Boston MA
• D. Townsend and Goddard, Newport RI

Answer: (D)

The inscription uses the maker’s names followed by the place where they worked, which helps identify both who made the piece and where it came from. Townsend and Goddard is a known colonial silversmith partnership that operated in Newport, Rhode Island. Surviving examples consistently read the names together with Newport RI, signaling the workshop’s location and aiding dating based on the couple’s activity period. Providence RI, New York, or Boston MA would point to a different workshop or era, and don’t align with the documented base of this partnership. So, Newport RI is the correct location to complete the inscription.

The inscription uses the maker’s names followed by the place where they worked, which helps identify both who made the piece and where it came from. Townsend and Goddard is a known colonial silversmith partnership that operated in Newport, Rhode Island. Surviving examples consistently read the names together with Newport RI, signaling the workshop’s location and aiding dating based on the couple’s activity period. Providence RI, New York, or Boston MA would point to a different workshop or era, and don’t align with the documented base of this partnership. So, Newport RI is the correct location to complete the inscription.