A SILVER AND MIXED-METAL CREAM JUG

MARKED TIFFANY & CO., CIRCA 1880

Details

A SILVER AND MIXED-METAL CREAM JUG
Marked Tiffany & Co., circa 1880
The surface with a spot-hammered finish overall, the body engraved with a marsh scene, with applied copper reeds and bamboo, depicting two Kingfishers, one clasping a copper fish in his beak, a butterfly with mokume wings overhead, the handle with a tiny beetle, marked underside 5159/223.
5½in. (14cm.) high; 10oz. (318gr.)

Lot Essay

Tiffany & Co. began making silver in the Japanese taste as early as 1873. Tiffany's Japanesque silver can be characterised by its simplified designs and organic forms inspired by nature. The hammered finish of this cream pitcher was shown by Tiffany & Co. in several works exhibited at the 1878 Paris Exposition and received great international acclaim. Tiffany's proficiency in working with mixed metals is also evident in this piece, particularly in the mokume butterfly wings, a Japanese technique which the firm mastered and used with great success.

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