An American Silver Large "Barley" Presentation Cup, Mauser Mfg. Co., New York, circa 1900-1910

of tall vase form, one side applied with a classical maiden holding a stalk of barley, the upswung handles applied with stylized foliage, the upper handle terminals applied with owl heads, lower terminals with scrolls, flowerheads and lizards, the lower body applied and engraved with vertical stalks of barley, domed circular foot cast with a band of palmettes also repeated at upper rim

Probably 1904 National Irrigation Congress, Ogden, Utah, or possibly 1911 American Land & Irrigation Exposition, New York

engraving removed from back, small ding to lower right of figure, otherwise good, details of owls and salamanders at handles charming
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The barley decoration on this piece strongly suggests it was one of Mauser's commissions honoring American agriculture, most likely for the National Irrigation Congress in 1904.  For that event, held in Ogden, Utah, Mauser made silver vases for the best Hops, Fruit, Sugar Beets, and Barley.  At least the first two were important enough to be illustrated in the Jeweler's Circular of that year; they were reprinted by Katharine Morrison McClinton in Collecting American 19th Century Silver, pp. 138-39 (the Hops vase was sold Christie's, New York, 21 January 1994, lot 73).  McClinton noted that the Barley vase was "decorated with borders of growing barley."

A Mauser vase decorated with Sugar Beets was sold Sotheby's, New York, 22 May 2003, lot 631.  The inscribed plinth indicated it was given at the 1911 Exposition, but the similarity of the design to the 1904 cups suggests that it was either a re-use of the earlier cup or a repetition of the model.