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拍品专文
George Paulding Farnham (1859-1927) was born in New York City to George and Julia Farnham, both of whose families had extensive ancestral roots in the United States. From a young age Farnham’s interest in and talent for the arts were recognized, and with the help of his uncle Charles T. Cook (1836-1907), then vice president of Tiffany & Co., he was apprenticed to study in the “Tiffany School,” which was the workshop of the chief designer Edward C. Moore (1827-1891). Farnham’s star quickly rose, and in November of 1885 he was given a contract as general assistant to Moore in the design department. Farnham’s first major success followed soon after when he was appointed by Moore to create the jewelry collection to be presented by Tiffany & Co. at the 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris. Despite the tight two-year turnaround time, and the 200 designs required, Farnham’s work was universally praised, and he won a gold medal at age 29.
Following Moore’s death in 1891, Farnham became responsible for the design of both jewelry and silver for the Chicago Exposition in 1893, followed by the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1900, at which he won further gold medals, and praise for his inspired naturalistic jewelry, as well as his inventive silver, incorporating the wide range of design influences he had been exposed to during his time at Tiffany.
While training under Moore, Farnham had access to his extensive collection of Near Eastern Islamic and Asian Art, one of the largest in the United States at the time, which was housed in a design museum within the Tiffany workshops. Farnham’s work in silver demonstrates the breadth of these influences, with individual pieces and entire services completed in Orientalist, Islamic, Romanesque, Native American, and Louis XVI styles, incorporating enamels, mixed metals, and applied gems to create complete works of art. As a jeweler first and foremost, his silver works have often described as ‘jewel like’ with exquisitely modeled tiny details, and matte surfaces to show off the rainbow of gems and enamels.
The most similar work to the present lot designed by Farnham is a coffee service now in the collection of the High Museum in Atlanta Georgia (acc. no. 1984.168.1). Though similar in form and studded with gems, this comparable service is derived much more from the Louis XV taste, with Rococo scrolls against a lavender ground. The dense pattern of scrolls and arabesques chased and engraved on the present lot take more inspiration from Islamic metalwork, which Farnham would have seen in Moore’s collection. The enamel work, while also reminiscent of Islamic decorative arts, may also have been in part inspired by the brilliantly colored enamel works of Russian silversmith Antip Kuzmichev, which were retailed at Tiffany & Co. in the 1890s.
Following Moore’s death in 1891, Farnham became responsible for the design of both jewelry and silver for the Chicago Exposition in 1893, followed by the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1900, at which he won further gold medals, and praise for his inspired naturalistic jewelry, as well as his inventive silver, incorporating the wide range of design influences he had been exposed to during his time at Tiffany.
While training under Moore, Farnham had access to his extensive collection of Near Eastern Islamic and Asian Art, one of the largest in the United States at the time, which was housed in a design museum within the Tiffany workshops. Farnham’s work in silver demonstrates the breadth of these influences, with individual pieces and entire services completed in Orientalist, Islamic, Romanesque, Native American, and Louis XVI styles, incorporating enamels, mixed metals, and applied gems to create complete works of art. As a jeweler first and foremost, his silver works have often described as ‘jewel like’ with exquisitely modeled tiny details, and matte surfaces to show off the rainbow of gems and enamels.
The most similar work to the present lot designed by Farnham is a coffee service now in the collection of the High Museum in Atlanta Georgia (acc. no. 1984.168.1). Though similar in form and studded with gems, this comparable service is derived much more from the Louis XV taste, with Rococo scrolls against a lavender ground. The dense pattern of scrolls and arabesques chased and engraved on the present lot take more inspiration from Islamic metalwork, which Farnham would have seen in Moore’s collection. The enamel work, while also reminiscent of Islamic decorative arts, may also have been in part inspired by the brilliantly colored enamel works of Russian silversmith Antip Kuzmichev, which were retailed at Tiffany & Co. in the 1890s.