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Cup and saucer

ca. 1881
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 706
This cup and saucer represent a rare aspect of Tiffany & Co.’s production. As early as 1845 Tiffany & Co. was selling items they promoted as "Indian Goods," including pipes, belts, pouches, moccasins, and "various fancy articles, made of Birch Bark." Native American imagery and decorative vocabulary also appeared in Tiffany silver designs, particularly in works conceived by Eugene Soligny (1832-1901) and Paulding Farnham (1859-1927), two of the firm’s leading designers. Here the pattern of alternating red and black triangles is reminiscent of Navajo blankets. During the later decades of the nineteenth century, Tiffany & Co. designers drew inspiration from a diverse array of sources. They had access to the vast collection of books and objects from around the world assembled by the head of the silver division, Edward C. Moore. The decorative pattern on this cup and saucer bears striking similarity to a rendering of floor patterns in one of Moore’s books, The Basilica of San Marco in Venice. Whether referencing Navajo blankets, Venetian floors, or both, the cup and saucer are testaments to the fertile environment in which Tiffany & Co. designers and craftsmen created their innovative work.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Cup and saucer
  • Maker: Tiffany & Co. (1837–present)
  • Date: ca. 1881
  • Geography: Made in New York, New York, United States
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Silver, patinated copper, patinated copper-platinum-iron alloy, and gold
  • Dimensions: Cup: 2 1/8 × 2 1/2 × 1 7/8 in. (5.4 × 6.4 × 4.8 cm)
    Saucer: 1/2 × 4 in. (1.3 × 10.2 cm)
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Friends of the American Wing Fund and Emma and Jay A. Lewis Gift, 2016
  • Object Number: 2016.688a, b
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

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