Description
This coffee pot, with its spherical base, narrow neck, and elongated spout, is based on Islamic vessels. Tiffany and Company first incorporated Islamic elements into their wares at the Paris Universal Exposition in 1867. Edward C. Moore, the chief silver designer, drew inspiration from his own collection of Middle Eastern art objects and design books, appropriating such elements as thin, sinuous forms and intricate, repeating patterns. The undersides of these objects are engraved Florence Pullman, a Chicagoan who was the daughter of George Pullman of the Pullman Car Company, which was famous for labor strikes by workers and the formation of the first African American labor union, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters.
Provenance
Accession Number
238832
Medium
Silver and silver gilt
Dimensions
Coffee Pot: 23.5 × 16.1 × 8.5 cm (9 1/4 × 6 3/4 × 3 3/4 in.); Sugar Bowl: 6.6 × 9.8 × 10.1 cm (2 5/8 × 3 7/8 × 4 7/8 in.)
Classification
decorative arts
Credit Line
Mary Swissler Oldberg Fund