AN AMERICAN SILVER AND MIXED-METAL THREE-PIECE ALE DRINKING SET

MARK OF TIFFANY & CO., NEW YORK, CIRCA 1878

Details

AN AMERICAN SILVER AND MIXED-METAL THREE-PIECE ALE DRINKING SET
MARK OF TIFFANY & CO., NEW YORK, CIRCA 1878
comprising an askos form ale jug and a pair of baluster form canns; all with spot-hammered surfaces, the rims applied with cascading ale drips highlighted with copper, the bodies with Japanese gold hops and branches with spiraling tendrils amongst copper beetles, snails and dragonflies, the ale jug with hinged cover chased with spiral and with copper vine-form thumb piece, the handle with conforming chased spiral terminal, the canns with mokume moths and gilt interiors, marked on undersides, the pitcher numbered 5290-9306, the canns numbered 5292-9306, the rims further marked with French import marks
9 ¾ in. (24.8 cm.) high, the pitcher; 4 ¼ in. (10.9 cm.) high, the canns; 64 oz. 14 dwt. (2,013 gr.)

Lot Essay

With its colorful and painterly array of metallic alloys combined with the organic forms and ornament derived from nature, this ale jug with its matching canns is the embodiment of the “Japaneseque” style. Tiffany began making silver in the Japanese taste as early as 1873. Tiffany's Japanesque silver can be characterized by its simplified designs and organic forms inspired by nature. The hammered finish of this ale jug and cups was shown by Tiffany in numerous works exhibited at the 1878 Paris Exposition and received great international acclaim. As this set is marked with French import marks it is likely that the pitcher and canns were exhibited a the Paris Exposition. Additionally the rarity of the askos form in Tiffany designs suggests that this set could have been for the European market.

More from Important American Furniture, Folk Art and Silver

View All