An American Silver and Mixed Metal “American Indian Style” Three-Handled Loving Cup, Tiffany & Co., New York, Circa 1885–1891

Christie’s, New York, January 20, 1989, lot 260

Sotheby’s, New York, January 20, 1998, lot 29

Property from the Richard & Jane Manoogian Foundation

Leading up to the American Centennial in 1876, a distinct American style was being sought and a number of manufacturers took inspiration from American Indian imagery. At the 1878 Paris Exposition, Tiffany & Co. exhibited a pair of candelabra featuring American Indian implements and adornments, as well as two fully-modeled warriors at the bases. One newspaper enthusiastically reported on their style being "as pure a nationality as the everlasting Pyramids, and when developed in coming years it will insure a style of decoration as distinctive and as rich in artistic effectiveness as that of Egypt, Greece, or Japan".

Tiffany & Co. also produced a series of Southwestern-style vases with Native American decorative motifs applied in metal inlays and niello, which bear similarities to the decoration of the present lot. One was made for the 1893 Chicago Exposition, while the others were made for the 1900 Paris and 1901 Buffalo fairs. Their decoration is suggestive of Pueblo ceramics and Zuni baskets, although they are not copies from known prototypes.

A cup of this model with buffalo horn handles and buffalo-form feet, but embossed with scenes of three George Catlin drawings: "Sundance Shield", "Bear Dance", and "Scalp Dance" is illustrated in Charles Carpenter, Tiffany Silver, 1997, p. 182, fig. 281.

In spite of the initial enthusiasm for Tiffany's American Indian designs, they had a relatively limited production. The vase offered here is a rare example of their production in this style from the last quarter of the 19th century.