Goblet

This goblet was made by the San Francisco silversmithing and luxury ware firm of Shreve & Company, founded by George C. and Samuel S. Shreve in 1853. The firm was known for the high quality of their goods and quickly gained prominence, rivaling Tiffany & Company and other purveyors of fine luxury goods and silver. By the early 1880s, the firm had evolved to include a manufactory, which produced highly original silver wares like this goblet.

The stylized and chased floral motifs on this goblet, as well as the hammered surface treatment, reflect the design tenets of the Arts and Crafts movement. This is a particularly sophisticated example of Shreve & Company’s silver work, as well as an outstanding example of their silver-mounted ceramic wares. Such wares were an integral part of the company’s oeuvre. Particularly interesting is the use of a Japanese Satsuma ceramic bowl, which speaks to the interest in Eastern art prevalent at the turn of the twentieth century.

The bowl is a fine example of Japanese Satsuma ware of ca. 1890-1905, which was prized by both American and European collectors. It is in the style of prominent ceramic decorator Yabu Meizan of Osaka, possibly made by his workshops or by Kyoto artists Sozan (leading painter at the workshop of Kinkōzan Sōbei) or Kozan (who ran his own workshop or worked to commission).

The goblet is thus an excellent example of the exquisite work of the important silversmithing firm Shreve & Company and a rare example of American mounted Japanese ceramics.