Codie Lyons
Associate Specialist
Lot 1
AN EXCEPTIONAL STERLING SILVER AND COPPER LOVING CUP by Tiffany & Co., New York, NY, marked 10209 Makers 3350, 1902-1907
12 November 2020, 10:00 PST
Los AngelesSold for US$35,312.50 inc. premium
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AN EXCEPTIONAL STERLING SILVER AND COPPER LOVING CUP
by Tiffany & Co., New York, NY, marked 10209 Makers 3350, 1902-1907
An Elephant Foot form base with two tapered tusk-like arms extending from the base and ending with openwork foliate finials to the rim. The body a tapered cylindrical form with Saracenic chased foliate design with inlaid copper. Inscribed to front "Presented to Col. Charles F. Homer by The Board of Managers of the Silk Association of America March 10th 1910". Together with three mixed metal military swords and two wood canes with gold fill handles; height 10 3/4in (27.5cm); total silver weight approximately 70.9oz troy.
An Elephant Foot form base with two tapered tusk-like arms extending from the base and ending with openwork foliate finials to the rim. The body a tapered cylindrical form with Saracenic chased foliate design with inlaid copper. Inscribed to front "Presented to Col. Charles F. Homer by The Board of Managers of the Silk Association of America March 10th 1910". Together with three mixed metal military swords and two wood canes with gold fill handles; height 10 3/4in (27.5cm); total silver weight approximately 70.9oz troy.
Footnotes
From 1851 to 1891, Edward C. Moore was Head Silversmith for Tiffany. Following the Civil War and his father's retirement as Head Silversmith, Moore was free to engage in more adventurous design. The United States' interest in the Near and Middle East in the late 1800s finely aligned with Moore's personal fascination with Islamic style. Moore became a pioneer for Tiffany; his Saracenic designs capitalizing on the blossoming fascination with the "exotic", as evident through recent World Fairs. The first recorded Islamic-style silver by Tiffany was at the 1867 Paris Exposition Universelle. This Islamic-inspired aesthetic ranged from simple engraved works, to more opulent repoussé, mixed metal, and enamel designs. Moore encouraged the other Tiffany designers to use Islamic motifs as influence, establishing Tiffany as an innovative force.
This particular Loving Cup accentuates Moore's inventive use of repoussé, curved forms, and mixed metal inlays. It mimics the appealing decorative effect visible in the 1889 "Saracenic Loving Cup", displayed at the 1889 Paris Exposition Universelle. The cup is also similar to an Indian-style silver and enamel Elephant's Foot Loving Cup, also designed by Moore and present at Exposition. The curvilinear form, foliate decoration, and hybrid Near, Middle, and Far East designs amplified a unique perspective of foreign culture in the United States. This specific cup was awarded to Charles Homer in 1910 by the Board of Managers of the Silk Association of America.
Col. Charles Frederick Homer (1840 - 1911) was a Civil War Veteran, who joined the 37th Regiment, N. G. N. Y. in 1862 as First Lieutenant Co. H. and Lieutenant Colonel of the 171st Regiment N. G. N. Y., 1898. He began his working career in shipping and importing, which slowly shifted him to the silk industry. Homer originally worked at the House of Pegram & Meyer, and later evolved into general silk manufacturing for various offices on Prince Street. A member of the Chamber of Commerce of New York State, New England Society, and the Union League and New York Athletic Clubs, amongst several other organizations, Homer was a prominent figure in New York society. During Roosevelt's administration, Homer was appointed as a member of the Board of Visitors to attend the annual examinations at the United States Military Academy in 1906 by William H. Taft. In 1910, this Tiffany Loving Cup was presented to the Colonel at a Silk Association of American testimonial dinner. The ceremony was held at the Belvidere of the Hotel Astor in commemoration for Homer's work as their Treasurer. The photograph of the cup and the dinner were published in the Silk Journal in March 1910, Volume III, No. 5.
This cup was presented to Bonhams by Homer's descendants.
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