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The Magnolia Vase

Manufacturer Tiffany & Co.
1893
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 706
The Magnolia Vase was the centerpiece of Tiffany & Co.’s display at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago—a display Godey’s Magazine described as “the greatest exhibit in point of artistic beauty and intrinsic value, that any individual firm has ever shown.” The design of the vase was a self-conscious expression of national pride. Pueblo pottery inspired the form, while Toltec motifs embellish the handles. The vegetal ornament refers to various regions of the United States: pinecones and needles symbolize the North and East; magnolias, the South and West; and cacti, the Southwest. Representing the country as a whole is the ubiquitous goldenrod, fashioned from gold mined in the United States. The exceptional craftsmanship and innovative techniques manifested in the vase—particularly the naturalism of the enameled magnolias—were much discussed in the contemporary press. Indeed, the work was heralded by the editor of the New York Sun as “one of the most remarkable specimens of the silversmith . . . art that has ever been produced anywhere.”

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Magnolia Vase
  • Manufacturer: Tiffany & Co. (1837–present)
  • Date: 1893
  • Geography: Made in New York, New York, United States
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Silver, enamel, gold, and opals
  • Dimensions: Overall: 30 7/8 x 19 1/2 in. (78.4 x 49.5 cm); 838 oz. 11 dwt. (26081.6 g)
    Foot: Diam. 13 1/2 in. (34.3 cm)
  • Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Winthrop Atwill, 1899
  • Object Number: 99.2
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

Audio

Cover Image for 4527. The Magnolia Vase, Part 1

4527. The Magnolia Vase, Part 1

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BETH WEES: The Magnolia Vase is an object that people either love or hate.

MORRISON HECKSCHER: Curator Beth Wees.

BETH WEES: But it was the centerpiece of Tiffany & Company's display at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Its design was made to express a very self-conscious attitude about American art and our national pride. The form in itself is in the shape a Pueblo pot. And the handles are meant to resemble Toltec motifs. The ornament represents the entire United States.

MORRISON HECKSCHER: So the pinecones and needles symbolize the North and East. The enameled magnolias stand for the South and West. * And on the base, cacti come from the Southwest, punctuated by American-mined opals to represent the earth.

BETH WEES: And all over the vase is climbing goldenrod, which apparently grows all over this country. And it was fashioned from $1,000 worth of gold that was mined in America.

MORRISON HECKSCHER: The vase epitomizes the taste of the Gilded Age, a period of enormous wealth and growth. And for Tiffany & Company, the era’s greatest silver manufactory, the vase was a creative coup. Tiffany valued the vase at $10,000 – an enormous sum then, and even now

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More Artwork

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Magnolia Conspicua
Tiffany & Co. (1837–present)
1891
Studies of Magnolias
Tiffany & Co. (1837–present)
1891
Study of Magnolia Blossom
Tiffany & Co. (1837–present)
ca. 1891
"Umbrella" Magnolia
Tiffany & Co. (1837–present)
1891
Design Drawing
Tiffany & Co. (1837–present)
ca. 1893

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