Made by Richard Humphreys (American, born West Indies, 1750–1832) and engraved by James Smither (American, born England, c. 1740–1829), this vessel was presented to Charles Thomson (American, born Ireland, 1729–1824), Secretary of the First Continental Congress in 1774. Used to dispense hot water when serving tea, this urn is the earliest documented work of art made in colonial British North America in the Neoclassical style. Its vase form, arcade and bead moldings, and stylized rosettes and laurel leaves all derive from British designs inspired by ancient Roman sources. By 1780, this style had well taken hold in Philadelphia. In contrast, the engraved cartouche by James Smither features the asymmetry, curvilinear, and exuberant ornament of Rococo decoration that first took hold in the 1740s. The First Continental Congress commissioned the urn in 1774 for presentation to Thomson, and the classical qualities neatly aligned with the ancient Roman republic as a model for the evolving American government.