| Beginning in the late 1870s, America's second phase of Japanese-style silver decoration emerged. It featured more naturalistic depictions of nature's wonders, which frequently included highly detailed insect and floral motifs, sometimes rendered in copper, brass, and/or gold. Other methods of representing insects included acid-etching and hand-chasing. Pictured here is one of my favorite examples of the period, a youth spoon by Whiting. The pattern is Hammered Antique, and it features an applied copper fern as well as an applied copper and silver fly. The reverse features an inscribed date of 1880. |
