Rare 1880 Tiffany and Co Sterling Silver Flatware Set “Lap Over Edge-Acid Etched” 108 Pc Set. (Mono)
12 Pc Place Setting
12 Pcs Of Each Of The 9 Utensils (12 X 9)
Very Good Condition
Priority Shipping W/Total Shipping Cost Pending and Depending Upon Insurance Quote
A Rare American Sterling Silver 108 piece 'Lap-Over-Edge' flatware service
Tiffany & Co, New York, stamped 'M' for Edward Moore period (1873-1891) or 'T' for Charles Tiffany period (1892-1902), incuse stamped TIFFANY & CO / STERLING / PAT. 1880
For Tiffany & Co., 'Lap Over Edge' is often regarded as the most innovative silver flatware they ever produced. This opulent and ground-breaking design incorporates Japanese style naturalistic motifs, such as flora and fauna, animals and insects, and is in the aesthetic taste. It is not merely an imitation of Japanese decoration, but an adaptation of Japanese artistry and traditional techniques. This cross-cultural hybrid approach generated originality of form, creating a new and exciting experimental approach to silverwork. Tiffany & Co. broke with the rigidity of the past to create a new artistic sensibility, which was in turn both beautiful and functional. To therefore understand why 'Lap Over Edge' is regarded with such high esteem, and why the service on offer here is so rare, it is worth summarising its creation relative to Tiffany & Co.'s history.
In 1837, Tiffany & Co. was founded in New York by Charles Louis Tiffany (1812-1902) and partners, as a luxury goods business (formerly known as 'Tiffany & Young', then 'Tiffany, Young & Ellis'). Around 1848, after forming close importing ties with Europe, Tiffany began to focus on two mercantile lines – silver and precious stones, which established the foundation for their future worldwide reputation. From 1847 to 1851, Tiffany retailed silver from several New York silversmiths, which included Henry Hebbard, Gale & Hughes, Wood & Hughes, and John C. Moore amongst others, with pieces they sold always stamped with the maker's mark and also that of Tiffany ('Tiffany, Young & Ellis' at that time). The demand in silverware increased, both for household and presentation pieces, which led Charles Tiffany and his partners to the decision that it made economic sense to bring the silver-manufacturing in-house. John C. Moore was their man of choice, who happened to be one of the finest silversmiths in New York at that time, working from his silver manufactory in Prince Street. Moore was to manufacture exclusively for Tiffany, but they still retailed silverware from other makers besides Moore. Moore was only making the hollow-ware during this period, with the flatware coming from outside makers. In 1853, Charles Tiffany gained total control of the firm on the retirement of his partners Young and Ellis, with the firm officially acquiring the name 'Tiffany & Co.'.
Tiffany & Co. was soon regarded as the leading silverware house in New York, but what is of note is that in 1851, soon after the arrangement with John Moore was made, John retired and handed the reins over to his twenty-four-year-old son Edward Chandler Moore (1827-1891). Trained by his father, Edward Moore was a first-rate silversmith and designer, who had the eye and emotional response of an artist. In addition, he had the people skills to manage a silver workshop, combined with an innate entrepreneurial spirit. As a man he was a quiet visionary who did not encourage the limelight, and an educator who liked others to flourish under his leadership. It therefore made sense that in 1868, given the success and size Tiffany's had grown, that Edward Moore's silver manufactory was officially incorporated into Tiffany & Co. Moore was assigned chief designer and director of the firm's silverworks, serving from 1868 until his passing in 1891.
Prior to the date of incorporation with Moore, Tiffany's silver was well made but rather conservative and traditional in form, following simple classical lines. The Civil War (fought between 1861 and 1865) negatively impacted many aspects of American life (which included silver design and production) and after such a grim period in the history of the United States, the American people desired change and a sense of newness; a departure from the old. For Moore, trips to Europe and specifically the 1867 Exposition Universelle opened that creative door. After Japanese ports reopened to trade with the West in 1854, shiploads of exotic oriental merchandise began pouring into France. In 1867, to nurture new business opportunities with the West, Japan decided to hold its first formal arts and crafts exhibition at the Paris Exposition Universelle, sharing their pavilion area with China and Siam. The exhibition attracted a great deal of international interest. Attended by Moore, Tiffany & Co.'s first trade show was held at this exhibition and was a relatively modest offering by European standards. To the astonishment of the established order, Tiffany & Co. won the bronze medal, which was the first time an American company had been awarded a medal by a foreign jury.
For Moore, the exposure to International Exhibitions helped open up a world outside of the narrow constraints of America and Europe, and he became fascinated by the art which existed outside of the western canon. The possibilities of the exotic 'other', specifically Japanese inspired and 'Orientalism', fuelled his creativity. However, from a business point of view, Charles Tiffany and Edward Moore were also astute enough to know that for the company to achieve financial success, they needed to expand internationally and offer silver that was artistically unique. International Exhibitions and their capacity for worldwide exposure and creative input, were the ideal marketing tool for an American company with big ambitions.
Therefore, in response to what he had seen in 1867, Moore began to assemble a significant collection of non-Western art and artefacts, to both educate and inspire Tiffany's designers and craftsmen. Over the following years he acquired over 2000 objects, which included Japanese art textiles, metalwork, lacquer work, ceramics, baskets and books (bequeathed in 1891 to the Metropolitan Museum of Art). It was a decorative vocabulary that was diverse, to encourage his craftsman to experiment and be inspired. The aesthetic adopted and developed by Moore was artistically revolutionary and energetic, a reaction against established Victorian taste and poorly designed and executed products. In effect, it was a rallying cry against the greyness of the industrial revolution, mass production and the loss of artistic integrity, plus a breaking away from oppressive European traditions in order to develop an American artistic individualism. Moore appeared to echo the philosophic ideologies espoused by William Morris, the pioneer of the Arts and Crafts movement, who was operating at the same time in England. As William Morris stated in his lecture 'The Beauty of Life' in 1880, 'Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful'.
Hence, 'Lap Over Edge' fulfilled Moore's artistic ideals of usefulness and beauty combined. Prior to 1868 no flatware had been produced within Tiffany & Co's silver manufactory, however Moore had been sketching flatware ideas since the 1850s. From 1868 onwards, Moore single-handedly propelled Tiffany & Co. into the lucrative flatware business, by bringing all manufacture in-house. Moore obtained six flatware design patents in the 1869-1872 period and two more in 1878 and 1879, starting with 'Tiffany', and followed by 'Italian', 'Cook (Saratoga)', 'Japanese' (which became known as 'Audubon'), 'Palm', 'Persian', 'Mackay' (private pattern), 'Olympian', 'Old French' and 'J.P. Morgan' (private pattern). In addition, the 'Vine', 'Grape Vine' and 'Tomato Vine' patterns are also attributed to Moore.
Moore began working with his lead designer and head silversmith Charles T. Grosjean (1842-1888) to further develop and incorporate his ideas, by including Far Eastern design philosophy and stylistic tropes into Tiffany's projects. As such, 'Lap Over Edge' was the first flatware pattern designed by Charles T. Grosjean for Tiffany & Co. in 1880 and patented on April 13th that year under Patent Number 11728, implementing a design aesthetic which was daringly different and helped pave the way for the Art Nouveau movement.
It is therefore important to understand how this service on offer differs from the 'Standard Issue' 'Lap Over Edge' Tiffany flatware. 'Standard Issue' was still expensive to make, but nothing compared to their custom-made order that can be seen on offer here. A 'Standard Issue' (regular) 'Lap Over Edge' piece comprised of a machine-made sterling blank, with rolled handle edges turned towards the back, or sometimes towards the front, making the edges of the handles thicker than the middles. Thus, the name 'Lap Over Edge' was a logical description of the form. The terminal shape could vary, with decorative etching plus engraving and/or chasing carried out by hand, and (more rarely) with applied or inlaid ornamentation. Each piece was then finished with a creatively suitable engraved or acid etched monogram, a signature device which Tiffany became known for on their silver flatware, identifying the wealthy owner.
Every item within a 'Lap Over Edge' service incorporated a different design; not only was the decoration on the knives different from that on the forks, spoons etc, but also each knife differed within the spread of knives, the same for the forks, spoons and so on, giving a more random and unique appearance to the service as a whole. 'Lap Over Edge' as a design was a refinement and evolution of what Moore had achieved at the 1878 Paris Exposition. Tiffany and Co., with designs by Moore, had won the grand prize "for its entirely revolutionary introduction of designs liberated from Western Europe's rigid and overused design vocabularies and based on the superbly refined, organic and naturalistic design aesthetic of Japan," as stated Loring in 'Magnificent Tiffany Silver'.
In the Tiffany Archives, design drawings featuring images taken from the natural world can be found showing the decoration used on 'Lap Over Edge', all skilfully executed and with detailed instructions. The illustrations were inspired by Japanese design books and the famous woodcut sketchbook 'Manga', by the Japanese artist 'Hokusai' (1760-1849). Moore's late 1860s sketchbook confirms that in circa 1867 he began designing in a Japonesque style, and this new direction correlates to his visit to the 1867 Paris Exposition, as prior to this there is no evidence of Japanese influence. For additional archival reference, Charles T. Grosjean's own diaries and notebooks from 1877-83, consisting of 15 volumes, are held in the Gorham Company Archive, Rhode Island. They also offer an intimate insight into the workings of Tiffany's Prince Street silver manufactory, with his musings on design, novel techniques and experiments, and the day-to-day running of the workshop.