19th Century Union Square Tiffany & Co Case for a Sterling Silver Tea Set
View Similar Items
19th Century Union Square Tiffany & Co Case for a Sterling Silver Tea Set
About the Item
- Creator:Tiffany & Co. (Maker)
- Dimensions:Height: 20 in (50.8 cm)Width: 28.5 in (72.39 cm)Depth: 23.25 in (59.06 cm)
- Style:Late Victorian (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Late 19th Century
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Minor losses. Please see description.
- Seller Location:Philadelphia, PA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU161027941783
Tiffany & Co.
Tiffany & Co. is one of the most prominent purveyors of luxury goods in the United States, and has long been an important arbiter of style in the design of diamond engagement rings. A young Franklin Delano Roosevelt proposed to his future wife, Eleanor, with a Tiffany ring in 1904. Vanderbilts, Whitneys, Astors and members of the Russian imperial family all wore Tiffany & Co. jewels. And Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis preferred Tiffany china for state dinners at the White House.
Although synonymous with luxury today, the firm started out rather modestly. Charles Lewis Tiffany and John B. Young founded it in Connecticut as a “stationery and fancy goods emporium” in 1837, at a time when European imports still dominated the nascent American luxury market. In 1853, Charles Tiffany — who in 1845 had launched the company’s famed catalog, the Blue Book, and with it, the firm’s signature robin’s-egg blue, which he chose for the cover — shifted the focus to fine jewelry. In 1868, Tiffany & Co. gained international recognition when it became the first U.S. firm to win an award for excellence in silverware at the Exposition Universelle in Paris. From then on, it belonged to the pantheon of American luxury brands.
At the start of the Gilded Age, in 1870, Tiffany & Co. opened its flagship store, described as a "palace of jewels" by the New York Times, at 15 Union Square West in Manhattan. Throughout this period, its designs for silver tableware, ceremonial silver, flatware and jewelry were highly sought-after indicators of status and taste. They also won the firm numerous accolades, including the grand prize for silverware at the Paris Exposition of 1878. Among the firm’s glittering creations from this time are masterworks of Art Nouveau jewelry, such as this delicate aquamarine necklace and this lavish plique-à-jour peridot and gold necklace, both circa 1900.
When Charles Lewis Tiffany died, in 1902, his son Louis Comfort Tiffany became the firm’s design director. Under his leadership, the Tiffany silver studio was a de facto design school for apprentice silversmiths, who worked alongside head artisan Edward C. Moore. The firm produced distinctive objects inspired by Japanese art and design, North American plants and flowers, and Native American patterns and crafts, adding aesthetic diversity to Tiffany & Co.’s distinguished repertoire.
Tiffany is also closely associated with diamonds, even lending its name to one particularly rare and exceptional yellow stone. The firm bought the Tiffany diamond in its raw state from the Kimberley mines of South Africa in 1878. Cut to create a 128.54-carat gem with an unprecedented 82 facets, it is one of the most spectacular examples of a yellow diamond in the world. In a broader sense, Tiffany & Co. helped put diamonds on the map in 1886 by introducing the American marketplace to the solitaire diamond design, which is still among the most popular engagement-ring styles. The trademark Tiffany® Setting raises the stone above the band on six prongs, allowing its facets to catch the light. A lovely recent example is this circa-2000 platinum engagement ring. Displaying a different design and aesthetic (but equally chic) is this exquisite diamond and ruby ring from the 1930s.
- 19th Century Wood and Hughes New York Coin Silver Tea SetBy Wood & HughesLocated in Philadelphia, PAA heavy, three-piece, 19th century American coin silver tea set by the renowned New York silversmiths, Wood & Hughes. Finely engraved with vine ...Category
Antique Mid-19th Century American Tea Sets
MaterialsSilver
- 19th Century Four-Piece Wood and Hughes Repousse New York Coin Silver Tea SetBy Wood & HughesLocated in Philadelphia, PAA large, four-piece, 19th century American coin silver tea set by the renowned New York silversmiths, Wood & Hughes. A stately and impressive set. ...Category
Antique 19th Century American Victorian Tea Sets
MaterialsSilver
$5,480 Sale Price / set20% Off - Three 19th Century Jeweled & Enameled German Coin Silver Musician FigurinesLocated in Philadelphia, PAA group of three rare and terrifically whimsical German or Austrian Silver musician figures. Constructed of coin silver and enamel bodies with glass cabochon jewels to the bases. ...Category
Antique 19th Century German Belle Époque More Furniture and Collectibles
MaterialsEnamel, Silver
$4,760 Sale Price / set20% Off - Antique Victorian S Mordan & Co Glass & Sterling Silver Vinaigrette Scent BottleBy S. Mordan & Co.Located in Philadelphia, PAA fine antique Victorian glass & sterling silver perfume bottle with an integral vinaigrette. By Sampson Mordan With a faceted ruby glass bottle mounted in etched gilt silver m...Category
Antique Late 19th Century British Victorian Bottles
MaterialsSterling Silver
- 19th Century German Rococo Revival Repoussé 800 Silver Centerpiece or BowlBy J.D. Schleissner & Söhne 1Located in Philadelphia, PAA large-scale, extremely ornate 19th century Rococo Revival solid silver bowl or centrepiece. Constructed of worked and fused sections each having large cartouches. Each cartouch...Category
Antique Late 19th Century German Rococo Revival Decorative Bowls
MaterialsSilver
- Antique 19th Century Miniature French Edition Globe by C. Abel-KlingerBy C. Abel-KlingerLocated in Philadelphia, PAA fine antique French Edition miniature globe. By C. Abel-Klinger. On a turned wooden stand with an uncalibrated brass half meridian. The globe is marked with an integral l...Category
Antique 19th Century German Neoclassical Maps
MaterialsPaper
- Italian 20th Century Green Marble and Sterling Silver ObelisksBy Argenteria EtruriaLocated in VALENZA, ITGreen marble obelisk with sterling silver friezes. The frieze on the obelisk depicts a composition of fruit with a love knot and is placed on a ba...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Other Sterling Silver
MaterialsMarble, Sterling Silver
- Mid-Century Modern Sterling Silver Thermometer by Tiffany & Co.By Tiffany & Co.Located in New York, NYMid-Century Modern-Period, sterling silver thermometer in working condition, Tiffany and Company, New York, circa 1950s. Works are made by...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Sterling Silver
MaterialsMetal, Sterling Silver
- 20th Century Italian White Carrara Marble Obelisk with Sterling Silver FriezesBy Argenteria EtruriaLocated in VALENZA, ITWhite Carrara marble obelisk with sterling silver friezes. The obelisk frieze, in gilded and natural sterling silver, depicts a jug from which water flows at the feet of a woman and ...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Other Obelisks
MaterialsMarble, Sterling Silver
- 21st Century Italian Sterling Silver ObeliskBy Arval Argenti ValenzaLocated in VALENZA, ITSolid sterling silver obelisk. Made entirely by hand, the obelisk is completely smooth fixed on a square base of different sizes and sections.Category
2010s Italian Egyptian Sterling Silver
MaterialsSterling Silver
$2,020 / item - 19th Century Crocodile Vanity Case with Sterling InitialsBy Andrew Barrett & SonLocated in Tarrytown, NYMade by Barrett and Sons, London. This vanity bag belonged to the owner of the Argentinian newspaper when Peron took over Argentina. Comes with pull out compartment and two smaller c...Category
Antique 19th Century English Edwardian Trunks and Luggage
- 19th Century English Travelling Dressing CaseBy Edward & John BarnardLocated in London, GBA mid-19th century lady’s travelling dressing case. The case is constructed in a finely marked coromandel, with inset brass handles and brass guard bands to the angles. The hinged lid rises to reveal in the upper section, a drop down document holder, with a mirror to the back, the parcel gilt pieces are engraved with a Viscountess’s coronet, probably Charles, 2nd Viscount Hardinge Cornwallis (1822-1894) and inset with turquoises and comprise a suite of four cut-glass jars, a liqueur flask with a fitted cup, the pull-out rear shelf houses seven jars for ink, potions and unguents. The lift out platform has sectional jewellery compartments, over, a pair of hexagonal based silver hall marked candlesticks, a thermometer, button hook, folding ruler...Category
Antique 19th Century British Victorian Decorative Boxes
MaterialsSilver
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
The Sparkling Legacy of Tiffany & Co. Explained, One Jewel at a Time
A gorgeous new book celebrates — and memorializes — the iconic jeweler’s rich heritage.
15 Scintillating Jewelry Watches to Elevate Your Holiday Style
Watchmakers have tucked their movements into all manner of precious baubles, from lapel pins to cocktail rings. The result is dazzling, wearable art that will get you to the party on time.