Coffeepot

1879

Tiffany and Company American, established 1837

On View

Modern, Level 2, Central Wing

Image Only Image + Details All Images High Resolution TIFF Metadata

About the Artwork

Please note: This section is empty
Markings

Please note: This section is empty

This section contains information about signatures, inscriptions and/or markings an object may have.
Provenance

Please note: This section is empty

Provenance is a record of an object's ownership. We are continually researching and updating this information to show a more accurate record and to ensure that this object was ethically and legally obtained.

For more information on provenance and its important function in the museum, please visit:
Exhibition History

Please note: This section is empty

The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.

We welcome your feedback for correction and/or improvement.
Published References

Please note: This section is empty

We regularly update our object record as new research and findings emerge, and we welcome your feedback for correction and/or improvement.
Catalogue Raisonné

Please note: This section is empty

A catalogue raisonné is an annotated listing of artworks created by an artist across different media.
Credit Line for Reproduction

Please note: This section is empty

The credit line includes information about the object, such as the artist, title, date, and medium. Also listed is its ownership, the manner in which it was acquired, and its accession number. This information must be cited alongside the object whenever it is shown or reproduced.

About the Artwork

The tall cylindrical coffeepot with its free-floating dragonflies represents the Japanese influence on the avant-garde art of the 1870s. Edward C. Moore, Tiffany’s chief designer, undoubtedly fell under this influence. In fabricating the piece, he employed the Japanese technique mokume, in which brass or silver is mixed in copper to achieve a swirled effect. The mokume waves achieve a cloudlike quality, interspersed among the applied dragonflies.

Title Coffeepot

Artwork Date 1879

Artist Tiffany and Company

Life Dates established 1837

Nationality Please note: Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events. Some definitions include: Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation. American

Culture Please note: Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group. Unknown

Medium Silver, copper, brass, ivory, possibly with gold and niello

Dimensions Overall: 9 1/4 × 6 1/8 inches (23.5 × 15.6 cm)

Classification Silver

Department American Art before 1950

Credit Founders Society Purchase with funds from Mr. and Mrs. Charles Theron Van Dusen and Beatrice W. Rogers Fund

Accession Number This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection. Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings. For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups. 1985.11

Markings

Inscriptions ------

Marks Struck, on bottom of pot: TIFFANY & CO | 5398 M 439 | STERLING SILVER | AND | OTHER METALS | 900

Provenance

Slavid and Applegate

1985-present, purchase by the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)

For more information on provenance and its important function in the museum, please visit:

Provenance page

Exhibition History

Please note: This section is empty

The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.

We welcome your feedback for correction and/or improvement.

Suggest Feedback

Published References

Bulletin of the DIA, 62, 2 (1985): p.11 (fig.10).

"American Decorative Arts Acquisitions 1985-2005." Bulletin of the DIA, 81, 1-2 (2007): p. 72.

Kindly share your feedback or any additional information, as this record is still a work in progress and may need further refinement.

Suggest Feedback

Catalogue Raisoneé

Please note: This section is empty

Credit Line for Reproduction

Tiffany and Company, Coffeepot, 1879, silver, copper, brass, ivory, possibly with gold and niello. Detroit Institute of Arts, Founders Society Purchase with funds from Mr. and Mrs. Charles Theron Van Dusen and Beatrice W. Rogers Fund, 1985.11.