Curator

  • Art Institute Chicago
  • Harvard art museum
  • My Exhibition
Shiny silver pitcher with pond design featuring reeds, dragonfly

Pitcher

1878

Design attributed to Edward C. Moore (American, 1827–1891) Tiffany and Company (American, founded 1837) New York

New York City

An asymmetrical water scene, realized through a combination of hammering, engraving, and applied metal elements, wraps around the body of this pitcher. The vignette was almost certainly inspired by the work of Katsushika Hokusai, a Japanese artist known for his dynamic woodblock prints of the natural world. Tiffany and Company’s design library included three volumes of Hokusai’s work, many featuring the same graceful irises, enlivened dragonflies, and splashing carp visible on this pitcher.

Silver, gold, and copper

Drinking and Dining

Essentials

Arts of the Americas