GENERAL DESCRIPTION
As early as 1848, Tiffany & Co. advertised its "extensive importation of Japanese Goods, probably the most extensive and magnificent collection ever seen out of Japan." The New York retailer regularly sold Japanese imports by 1869, and in 1877 hosted an auction of nearly 2,000 fine and decorative objects collected in Japan for the firm by British designer Christopher Dresser. Some unsold objects entered Tiffany's design collection and served as inspiration for its Japanese style silverware.
While its Y-shaped legs are reminiscent of supports found on Chinese Ming dynasty furniture, the shape of this kettle's body is based on Japanese porcelain examples fitted with squared handles of bamboo or reed. It is probable that such an example was among the wares auctioned in 1877, considering Dresser also designed a kettle-on-stand with this body and spout shape around 1879. The figures and motifs engraved on this example of Tiffany's version are likely derived from the sketches or prints of Edo period artist Katsushika Hokusai or his contemporaries.
Drawn from
- Charles L. Venable, Silver in America, 1840-1940: A Century of Splendor (Dallas, Texas: Dallas Museum of Art; New York, New York; Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1994), 136-138, 339.
- John Loring, Magnificent Tiffany Silver (New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2001), 58.
NOTES
I added the following as a TMS Text Entry: Charles L. Venable, Silver in America, 1840-1940: A Century of Splendor (Dallas, Texas: Dallas Museum of Art; New York, New York; Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1994), 343.
I updated Provenance, Exhibition History, and Published References in TMS.
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
n.d.: Morton M. Goldberg Auction Galleries, New Orleans
Until about 1980: Fred M. Nevill, Houston Texas, purchased from the above
About 1980-1988: Phyllis Tucker Antiques (Phyllis Tucker), Houston, Texas, purchased from the above
From 1988: Dallas Museum of Art, purchased from the above
Notes:
The main source for this provenance is a memo by Charles Venable (dated December 27, 1988, copy in Collections Records Object File).
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
IMAGE ASSETS
WEB RESOURCES
- Metropolitan Museum of Art~Christopher Dresser designed a related tea kettle on stand as part of a traveling tea set, now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- British Museum~Read a biography of Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai, whose sketches and prints inspired European and American artists and designers.
- Marquand Library of Art and Archaeology, Princeton University~Learn more about Manga, the sketchbooks of Katsushika Hokusai published in fifteen volumes.
- Metropolitan Museum of Art~Read more about Nineteenth-Century American Silver.
ARCHIVAL RESOURCES
FUN FACTS
TEACHING IDEAS
RULES
Apply to objects where number equals 1988.61.A-D
Category
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General Description
As early as 1848, Tiffany & Co. advertised its "extensive importation of Japanese Goods, probably the most extensive and magnificent collection ever seen out of Japan." The New York retailer regularly sold Japanese imports by 1869, and in 1877 hosted an auction of nearly 2,000 fine and decorative objects collected in Japan for the firm by British designer Christopher Dresser. Some unsold objects entered Tiffany's design collection and served as inspiration for its Japanese style silverware.
While its Y-shaped legs are reminiscent of supports found on Chinese Ming dynasty furniture, the shape of this kettle's body is based on Japanese porcelain examples fitted with squared handles of bamboo or reed. It is probable that such an example was among the wares auctioned in 1877, considering Dresser also designed a kettle-on-stand with this body and spout shape around 1879. The figures and motifs engraved on this example of Tiffany's version are likely derived from the sketches or prints of Edo period artist Katsushika Hokusai or his contemporaries.
Drawn from
- Charles L. Venable, Silver in America, 1840-1940: A Century of Splendor (Dallas, Texas: Dallas Museum of Art; New York, New York; Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1994), 136-138, 339.
- John Loring, Magnificent Tiffany Silver (New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2001), 58.
Fun Facts
Archival Resources
Web Resources
- Metropolitan Museum of Art~Christopher Dresser designed a related tea kettle on stand as part of a traveling tea set, now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- British Museum~Read a biography of Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai, whose sketches and prints inspired European and American artists and designers.
- Marquand Library of Art and Archaeology, Princeton University~Learn more about Manga, the sketchbooks of Katsushika Hokusai published in fifteen volumes.
- Metropolitan Museum of Art~Read more about Nineteenth-Century American Silver.
Notes
I added the following as a TMS Text Entry: Charles L. Venable, Silver in America, 1840-1940: A Century of Splendor (Dallas, Texas: Dallas Museum of Art; New York, New York; Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1994), 343.
I updated Provenance, Exhibition History, and Published References in TMS.
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
n.d.: Morton M. Goldberg Auction Galleries, New Orleans
Until about 1980: Fred M. Nevill, Houston Texas, purchased from the above
About 1980-1988: Phyllis Tucker Antiques (Phyllis Tucker), Houston, Texas, purchased from the above
From 1988: Dallas Museum of Art, purchased from the above
Notes:
The main source for this provenance is a memo by Charles Venable (dated December 27, 1988, copy in Collections Records Object File).
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
rules
Apply To
Objects
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Equals
1988.61.A-D
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object_notes_2_a-0601.xml.nores