Spoon / Tiffany & Company
About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 1967/2.17
- Title
- Spoon
- Artist
- Tiffany & Company
- Artist Nationality
- American
- Artist Life Dates
- established 1837
- Medium and Support
- 18K gold
- Object Creation Date
- 1900-1967
- Object Creation Place
- North and Central America (continent)
- United States (nation)
- New York (state)
- Creation Place 1
- North and Central America (continent)
- Creation Place 2
- United States (nation)
- Creation Place 3
- New York (state)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Colonel and Mrs. Thomas M. Spaulding
- Inscription
- Monogram: SST? On back, lower part of handle: TIFFANY & CO. MAKER C 18 KT. PAT... 190...
- Dimensions
- 14.76 cm x 3.2 cm (5 13/16 in. x 1 1/4 in.)
- Century
- 20th century
- Primary Object Classification
- Decorative Arts
- Primary Object Type
- spoon
- Physical Description
- Gold spoon with thin handle that widens at the end with egg-and-dart-like motif along edges
- Subject Matter
- Many silver luxury items in Colonial America were imported from Europe, but by the late 17th century American silversmiths began producing spoons, tankards, and tea services for domestic use and display, many of which emulated the aesthetics of British and Northern European design and ornament. The Tariff of 1842 imposed heavy taxes on imported goods to America, such as silver, which, along with a flourishing economy following the Civil War and an increase in the demand for elegant dining silverware, led to an increase in production. As the industry grew from local workshops to large factories, American silver manufacturers, such as Kirk & Sons and Tiffany & Company were established.
- During this time the role of the designer became more important in silversmithing. The prestigious New York jewelry firm Tiffany & Co. originally founded in 1837 by Charles Louis Tiffany (whose son, Louis Comfort Tiffany, became renowned for his glasswork and jewelry) employed a succession of highly influential and skilled designers, and soon became well known for creating beautiful pieces, whose elegant and timeless designs continue to remain popular even today.
- Secondary Keywords
- culinary equipment
- culinary equipment by function
- culinary equipment for serving and consuming food
- descriptors
- equipment
- equipment by context
- gold and gold alloy
- inorganic material
- materials
- materials by composition
- metal
- metal and metal products
- metal by composition or origin
- modern and contemporary art
- nonferrous metal
- objects we use
- tools and equipment
- utensils for serving food
- Rights
- If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/about/services/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Technical Details
- Collection
- University of Michigan Museum of Art
- Image Size
- 903 x 553
- File Size
- 26 KB
- Record
- 1967/2.17
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1967-sl-2.17/1967_2.17.jpg
Rights and Permissions
Cite this Item
View the Help Guide for more information.
- Full citation
-
"Spoon; Tiffany & Company." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1967-sl-2.17/1967_2.17.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 13, 2024.