Tiffany & Co. and Edward C. Moore "Dragonfly" Silver Vase
Regular price
$75,000
Edward C. Moore’s Dragonfly vase draws inspiration from the bianhu, a traditional Chinese vessel form that translates roughly to “flattened vase.” Originally utilitarian—used by nomadic peoples to carry water on horseback along the frontiers of what is now China as early as the 5th–3rd centuries BCE—the bianhu was later adapted for ritual use, particularly for pouring wine at altars in ceremonies honoring spirits or ancestors. Moore’s reinterpretation of the form features richly symbolic decoration, including dragonfly-shaped handles, a jumping spider, and an Asian lady beetle. The body of the flask is also embellished with the seed pod of the trumpet vine. While Moore frequently incorporated Japanese flora and fauna into his silverwork, the inclusion of the trumpet vine—native to New York—suggests a unique fusion of American and Japanese aesthetic traditions.
Item #: T-22006
Artist: Tiffany & Co.
Country: United States of America
Circa: 1878
Dimensions: 7.5" height, 5" width, 3.5" depth.
Materials: Sterling Silver, Mixed Metals
Approx. Weight: 15.4 ozt.
Signed: "TIFFANY & Co. / 5321M1513 / STERLING SILVER AND OTHER METALS 593."
Exhibition History: An example of this vase is in the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland.
Item #: T-22006
Artist: Tiffany & Co.
Country: United States of America
Circa: 1878
Dimensions: 7.5" height, 5" width, 3.5" depth.
Materials: Sterling Silver, Mixed Metals
Approx. Weight: 15.4 ozt.
Signed: "TIFFANY & Co. / 5321M1513 / STERLING SILVER AND OTHER METALS 593."
Exhibition History: An example of this vase is in the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland.
Edward C. Moore first presented silverwork for Tiffany & Co. at the 1867 Paris Exposition Universelle, marking his debut on the international stage. This event also introduced Japanese arts and crafts to France through the Meiji government’s exhibition of lacquerware, ceramics, woodblock prints, arms, armor, and textiles. Inspired by these works, Moore began incorporating Japanese techniques and motifs into his creations. By the 1878 Paris Exposition Universelle, Moore’s Japonisme had reached its peak. Among his masterpieces was a Japonist pitcher, earning the Grand Prize in its category. Siegfried Bing praised Moore’s work, noting: “Although their concept was not inherently original—their decorative principles were directly borrowed from the Japanese—their borrowed elements were so ingeniously transposed to serve their new function that they became the equivalent of new discoveries.” The millions of visitors to the Exposition marveled at the grace, harmony, and restraint in Moore’s silverwork, exemplified by this pitcher.
Edward C. Moore first presented silverwork for Tiffany & Co. at the 1867 Paris Exposition Universelle, marking his debut on the international stage. This event also introduced Japanese arts and crafts to France through the Meiji government’s exhibition of lacquerware, ceramics, woodblock prints, arms, armor, and textiles. Inspired by these works, Moore began incorporating Japanese techniques and motifs into his creations. By the 1878 Paris Exposition Universelle, Moore’s Japonisme had reached its peak. Among his masterpieces was a Japonist pitcher, earning the Grand Prize in its category. Siegfried Bing praised Moore’s work, noting: “Although their concept was not inherently original—their decorative principles were directly borrowed from the Japanese—their borrowed elements were so ingeniously transposed to serve their new function that they became the equivalent of new discoveries.” The millions of visitors to the Exposition marveled at the grace, harmony, and restraint in Moore’s silverwork, exemplified by this pitcher.
