Tiffany Zoomorphic Or Animal Form Silver

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Tiffany Zoomorphic Or Animal Form Silver

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Author	Topic: Tiffany Zoomorphic Or Animal Form Silver
Richard Kurtzman Moderator Posts: 768 Registered: Aug 2000	posted 02-24-2009 08:51 PM For a brief period in the 1880's Tiffany, Gorham, and several other important makers produced silver that they themselves described as grotesque or bizarre. It would appear that this kind of silver was not commercially successful as there is little of it around today and what records are available seem to indicate that not much of it was produced in the first place. Tiffany zoomorphic or animal-form silver falls into this category. Below is a 14" wide tray in the form of a ray or manta ray. This is listed in Tiffany's pattern books as "Tray Ray". The pattern number of this piece is 7541. This 7 3/8" dish is in the form of a frog. The pattern number is 7599. This is a 5 3/4" dish in the shape of a monkey. The pattern number is 7629. This piece is a 12 3/8" coffee pot in the form of a monkey. It is listed in Tiffany's order book as "7849-COFFEE POT- GROTESQUE OSBORNE". Osborne is Charles Osborne who worked for Tiffany from 1879 to 1887. He was Whiting's head designer before and after his stay at Tiffany. 7849 is the pattern number. This last piece is 9 3/4" tall wine jug in the form of a pig. It is pictured in John Loring's "Magnificent Tiffany Silver". Loring states, "Animal-form wine jugs were popular in nineteenth-century England, and this could have been designed and chased circa 1890 by Eugene J. Soligny, whose sketchbooks eloquently illustrate his love of satire." When this piece came up for auction not too long ago, the auction house described it as relating most closely to the work of Edward C. Moore. The pattern number is 7851. The pattern numbers for these pieces range from 7541 to 7851 indicating that they were designed most probably in a very narrow time frame: 1883 to 1884. IP: Logged
dragonflywink Posts: 993 Registered: Dec 2002	posted 02-24-2009 08:54 PM Wonderful! (Especially the last one.) ~Cheryl IP: Logged
Polly Posts: 1970 Registered: Nov 2004	posted 02-25-2009 01:26 AM I was hoping you'd post those, Richard! Richard showed me the monkey dish a few weeks ago. It's even more delightful in person. If you tilt it a bit, it seems to be lazily blinking at you. IP: Logged
vathek Posts: 966 Registered: Jun 99	posted 02-25-2009 07:06 AM great stuff. IP: Logged
Paul Lemieux Posts: 1792 Registered: Apr 2000	posted 02-25-2009 01:58 PM Richard, are the flat dishes (ray, monkey, frog) cast? A long time ago I had a set of small Redlich dishes from probably the early 1890s that are similar in style to these. If I can find pictures I will post. IP: Logged
swarter Moderator Posts: 2920 Registered: May 2003	posted 02-25-2009 02:15 PM The ray is a bit fanciful, but accurate enough to identify as a Torpedo (Electric Ray), and a male at that! There may be a (anti) Darwin connection to the anthropomorphic Monkeys. IP: Logged
Richard Kurtzman Moderator Posts: 768 Registered: Aug 2000	posted 02-25-2009 07:07 PM Paul, We've had this discussion before regarding Gorham C mark pieces and we haven't been able to agree whether those are cast or not. The flat pieces are all of good weight and they are all chased - the frog being the least finished. Are they cast? I can't tell anymore. IP: Logged
Richard Kurtzman Moderator Posts: 768 Registered: Aug 2000	posted 06-15-2009 10:54 PM Here is another piece that belongs in this category. It's a 2 3/4" high monkey listed by Tiffany as a "Grotesque Monkey" pepper. Its pattern number is 7619 which puts within the 7541 - 7851 design frame. IP: Logged
Richard Kurtzman Moderator Posts: 768 Registered: Aug 2000	posted 03-07-2011 12:51 AM Here are two more pieces that recently sold at auction. These bon bon trays are 8 inches in length and their pattern number is 7602. This number falls right in the 7541 to 7851 range. So far all of these pieces seem to have been designed in either 1883 or 1884. Has anyone seen any other examples of these Tiffany pieces? IP: Logged
Marc Posts: 414 Registered: Jun 2002	posted 03-08-2011 11:21 PM Hi there Richard.. Really wonderful.. and all of the taste I like to collect. Outsider art. Is the pig really for wine..? With those insulators in the handle..? If the monkey is for tea, would not the pig be for tea also..? More,,More.. Thanks.. Marc IP: Logged
vathek Posts: 966 Registered: Jun 99	posted 03-12-2011 08:01 AM Off topic but this thread reminds of an argument I had with a friend on the pronunciation of zoology. I maintain that it's pronounced zo - ology, not zoo - ology, making the adjective form zo -omorphic (hence the saying there is no zoo in zoology).Great pieces btw. IP: Logged
Richard Kurtzman Moderator Posts: 768 Registered: Aug 2000	posted 03-18-2011 12:10 AM Marc, The Monkey Pot is a coffee pot. I'm not sure why the Pig is a wine jug with insulators, except perhaps to serve hot wine. By the way, the two Frogs are listed in Tiffany's Pattern Book as "Ash Pan frog". IP: Logged
Paul Lemieux Posts: 1792 Registered: Apr 2000	posted 05-15-2011 05:02 PM These are 100 years later than Richard's examples, but nice nonetheless: Tiffany figural silver flask & beer bottle opener (ad from Spy magazine, Jun 89). Hmm...what zoomorphic products will Tiffany unveil in the 2080s? IP: Logged
asheland Posts: 935 Registered: Nov 2003	posted 05-07-2015 10:01 AM Great thread! IP: Logged

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