A Rare Tiffany Beaker Is Up For Sale

Online, June 29, 2011 (Newswire.com) - An interesting and important Edward C Moore silver and mixed metal Tiffany and Co beaker is to be auctioned on Friday 1st July at Birmingham based auctioneers Biddle and Webb.

The item was brought into their regular free valuation morning by a private vendor who had been using it as a pen pot!

Inscribed to the base, 'Tiffany and Co' together with marks for the designer, Edward C Moore, the beaker dates from 1879. Edward Moore was a leading American designer/ silversmith at his father's firm, John Moore & Co, which he took over in 1851. The company made silverwares exclusively for Tiffany and Co in America, before being bought out by Tiffany in 1868. As chief designer and head of the silverware department Moore set about revolutionising Tiffany's designs, winning numerous accolades for the company, notably a Gold medal at the Paris Exhibition in 1867 and again in 1876, he also received a mark of distinction from the French Government in 1889.

The beaker for sale is a perfect example of the Japanesque design which characterises Moore's work. Leaves and vines, as seen in oriental art works and sketchbooks from the 19th century highly influenced his work, along with birds and insects which he saw on Chinese screens. He began by using this new style of design on his silver flatware but the patterns proved so popular he extended them to other objects such as this beaker.

Auctioneer Liz Winnicott, who has extensive knowledge of 19th and 20th century decorative arts said: "The beaker is an exciting find and to Tiffany collectors represents a rare piece of history from such an iconic designer.

"It is thought around 4,000 pieces of silverware were made under Moore's direction at Tiffany & Co, and nearly half of these are held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. This beaker, inscribed 'Christmas 1879' dates from his most important period, shortly after the Paris exhibition of 1876 and is decorated with leaves, butterflies and ladybugs, as well as having the initials 'BM'. It would be even better if we could tie the initials to a member of the Moore family."

Ends/

For more information about Biddle & Webb visit: www.biddleandwebb.co.uk