Collecting Inspiration: Edward C. Moore at Tiffany & Co
Medill H. Harvey, Metropolitan Museum of Art
14th Annual Michael Weller Memorial Lecture
Magnolia Vase. Tiffany & Co., 1893. Silver, enamel, gold, opals, 30 7⁄8 x 19 1⁄2 in. (78.4 x 49.5 cm) marked: TIFFANY & Co/11168 MAKERS 3137/STERLING SILVER/T/[Tiffany globe mark for the World’s Columbian Exposition] (on underside) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Mrs. Winthrop Atwill, 1899 (99.2)
Tea Set (Tête-à-Tête). Tiffany & Co., 1886. Silver, silver gilt, enamel, ivory, Teapot: 4 3⁄4 x 10 7⁄8 x 5 3⁄16 in. (12.1 x 27.6 x 13.2 cm); creamer: 2 7⁄8 x 5 3⁄8 x 3 1⁄8 in. (7.3 x 13.7 x 7.9 cm); sugar bowl: 3 5⁄8 x 7 1⁄2 x 3 3⁄4 in. (9.2 x 19.1 x 9.5 cm); sugar tongs: 5⁄8 x 5 in. (1.6 x 12.7 cm) marked: TIFFANY & Co/8473 M8148/STERLING-SILVER (on underside of teapot); TIFFANY & Co /8473 M8147/STERLING-SILVER (on undersides of creamer and sugar bowl) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of a Friend of the Museum, 1897 (97.1.1–.4)
Tiffany & Co., New York, Exposition Universelle, Paris, 1889. Wallach Division Picture Collection, The New York Public Library
Selection of objects from the Edward C. Moore Collection. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Edward C. Moore Collection, Bequest of Edward C. Moore, 1891 (91.1.2155, .572, .173, .488, .1199, .510, .1220, .1600, .116, .2094, .1204, .1230, and .490)
Edward C. Moore—a silversmith, designer, and prodigious collector—led Tiffany & Co. to unrivaled success during the late nineteenth century. Moore used exceptional objects from around the world as inspiration for Tiffany’s innovative silver designs. Collecting Inspiration: Edward C. Moore at Tiffany & Co. presents the never-before-told story of Moore, focusing on his life, collection, and lasting influence on artistic production and The Met.
