Creamer

The opening of Japan to the West in the 1850s and subsequent displays of Japanese art at world’s fairs inspired great demand for Japanese-style objects in the United States. Edward C. Moore, the director of Tiffany’s silver department, was an early proponent and collector of Japanese art. Although largely inspired by Japanese art, this creamer and matching sugar bowl demonstrate that Tiffany's designers looked to a variety of sources when creating innovative designs. Indeed, manufacturing ledgers describe these vessels as having "Persian Pierced Handles." The silver workshop supervisor, Charles Gosjean, recorded in his diary that he visited the city's aquarium and also purchased fish from the Fulton Market, which he then had a colleague sketch. This dedication to close observation resulted in the highly accurate depictions of sunfish, pickerel, and yellow perch seen here.