An American Silver Three-handled Presentation Cup, Tiffany & Co., New York, Circa 1895

of baluster form with three scroll handles, etched with monogram AWS above and etched foliated inscription, marked on base

good condition
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The inscription reads: " Presented to Addie Walter Seligman on the occasion of her marriage as a token of esteem of the directors Hebrew Technical Institute".

Addie Walter married David J. Seligman on 23 October 1878 in a service performed by Rev. Gustav Gottneil of the Temple Emanuel.  David was member of the prominent Seligman banking family of New York, and was head of the silver department at his family's investment bank J. & W. Seligman & Company.  His wedding gift to his new bride was $20,000 in United States bonds.  The couple had residences at 74 East 55th Street and in Long Branch.

The Seligmans emerged from immigrant merchants in the 1840's to become one of the most important investment banking firms by the end of the century.  Known as the "American Rothschilds" the Seligman family was described by Stephen Birmingham in his 1967 book Our Crowd: The Great Jewish Families of New York, as having "virtually invented" international banking in the United States.  David Seligman died of appendicitis in 1897, and two years later his widow Addie married his first cousin, Henry Seligman, who also worked for the family's firm.  In 1902 Henry and Addie completed construction on a six-story, 20,000 -square-foot brownstone located on West 56th Street.  The mansion was designed by C.P.H. Gilbert, and was the largest home on the block.  The interior was executed in a variety of fashionable styles and included an entry hall that ran the full width of the 41 foot-wide lot, a hall rising to a rooftop skylight, and a half-oval Japanesque smoking room and library where "even the wastepaper basket was in the Gothic style", as noted by the New York Tribune.  Henry died in 1933 and Addie in 1936.