The Napkin Ring Site

American silver: Mixed metal decoration

Data

Place

USA

Time                             ca. 1880
Maker:                          Probably Tiffany
Designer                        Probably Edgar Moore
Style                             Japanese inspired naturalism
Material                         Sterling silver and copper
Silver techniques             Engraving and soldered on decorations
                                     in copper (mixed-metal).

Measures

Diameter 46 mm
Width 35 mm
Weight                 47 g

Marks                            Unmarked
Inscriptions                    None

References
John Loring, Magnificent Tiffany Silver, Harry N. Abrams inc. N. Y. 2001.
Christie’s, The Sam Wagstaff Collection of American Silver, New York January 20, 1989, lot 215. A mixed-metal napkin ring attributed to Tiffany & Co.
Christies, Highly Important American Furniture, Silver, Folk Art and Decorative Arts, New York January 19-20, 1990, lot 74A. A mixed-metal napkin ring attributed to Tiffany & Co.

Collector’s comments

This napkin ring was bought in Greys Antique Market in London in the 1990’es.
It was not on display but asked if he would ever come across a mixed metal napkin ring a dealer returned the next day with this beautiful example. It is unmarked but unmistakably American.
Identifying the maker of an unmarked item is one of the challenges of silver collecting. The fine work and the heavy gauge indicate a good maker such as, in alphabetical order, Gorham, Shiebler, Tiffany, Whiting, or Wood & Hughes.
But what are the arguments for claiming that it is probably the work of Tiffany and Edgar Moore ? This is about 30 years of collecting and studying napkin rings, including the characteristic shapes, borders etc. of the various makers.
No marked Tiffany napkin rings in mixed metals have appeared on the market, but two unmarked examples with similar borders and proportions have been described in Christie’s auction catalogues as “attributed to Tiffany & Co”. One had a squared shape and a decoration of fish identical to a coffee set designed by Edgar Moore. (See John Loring’s Magnificent Tiffany Silver, page 46). The mixed metal napkin rings by Whiting and Gorham are always much larger and the decorations more crude and the ones from Shiebler are markedly different.
The way the copper of the flower mixes with the silver and the charming bird also fits with Tiffany and Moore.

Feed back on the above is most welcome.