Tiffany & Co. and Edward Chandler Moore "Japanoniste" Silver Pitcher

Alive with fluttering leaves, flapping wings, and splashing fish, this pitcher was one of Tiffany & Co.’s most celebrated Japoniste designs, earning the grand prize at the 1878 Exposition Universelle. Its dynamic, asymmetrical composition, inspired by Japanese woodblock prints, depicts a vibrant pond scene wrapping around its surface. Drawing from the works of Japanese masters, the design features a red dragonfly from Utamaro, irises from Hiroshige, and leaping carp from Hokusai. The dragonfly’s gold-electrotyped wings and its copper body, sourced from Lake Superior, showcase Moore’s meticulous craftsmanship, while the planished texture mimics rippling water. The koi swimming upstream symbolizes resilience and strength, reflecting the harmony between nature and human virtues at the heart of Japanese tradition. This masterful fusion of Japanese artistry and Tiffany’s exceptional silversmithing not only captivated audiences at the Exposition but also cemented the pitcher’s legacy as a defining example of the Japoniste aesthetic in American decorative arts.
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Category: Metalwork New Acquisitions Tiffany & Co. Tiffany Objects
Product Details

Item #: T-21799
Artist: Tiffany & Co. and Edward Chandler Moore
Country: United States
Circa: 1878
Dimensions: 9.05" height.
Materials: Silver, Gold, & Copper
Gram Weight: 1009 g.
Signed: Tiffany & Co. 5051 makers 9836 sterling silver 925 00 and other metals 144
Exhibition History: Le Japonisme, Galeries nationales du Grand Palais and National museum of western art, Paris, 1988 Gallé and Japonisme, Suntory Museum of Art, Tokyo, 2008 Splendors of Meiji: Treasures of Imperial Japan, Musée National des Arts Asiatiques, Guimet, France, 1999 Collecting Inspiration: Edward C. Moore at Tiffany & Co., Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2020. Magnificent Tiffany Silver, John Loring, Harry N.Abrams, Inc. Publishers, New York, 2001, p. 38 American Silver in the Art Institute of Chicago, Elizabeth McGoey, Art Institute of Chicago, 2017, p.126, no. 56. Catalog sommaire illustré des arts décoratifs, Musée d'Orsay, Bascou Marc, Massé Marie Madeleine and Philppe Thiébaut, Réunion des Musées Nationaux, 1988, p. 212 Tiffany Silver, Charles H. Carpenter Jr., Mary Grace Carpenter, Henry B. Platt, London, 1978, p. 193 no. 264. Les chefs-d'oeuvres d'art à l'Exposition Universelle 1878, Emile Bergerat, 1878, v. 1, p. 122

Item #: T-21799
Artist: Tiffany & Co. and Edward Chandler Moore
Country: United States
Circa: 1878
Dimensions: 9.05" height.
Materials: Silver, Gold, & Copper
Gram Weight: 1009 g.
Signed: Tiffany & Co. 5051 makers 9836 sterling silver 925 00 and other metals 144
Exhibition History: Le Japonisme, Galeries nationales du Grand Palais and National museum of western art, Paris, 1988 Gallé and Japonisme, Suntory Museum of Art, Tokyo, 2008 Splendors of Meiji: Treasures of Imperial Japan, Musée National des Arts Asiatiques, Guimet, France, 1999 Collecting Inspiration: Edward C. Moore at Tiffany & Co., Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2020. Magnificent Tiffany Silver, John Loring, Harry N.Abrams, Inc. Publishers, New York, 2001, p. 38 American Silver in the Art Institute of Chicago, Elizabeth McGoey, Art Institute of Chicago, 2017, p.126, no. 56. Catalog sommaire illustré des arts décoratifs, Musée d'Orsay, Bascou Marc, Massé Marie Madeleine and Philppe Thiébaut, Réunion des Musées Nationaux, 1988, p. 212 Tiffany Silver, Charles H. Carpenter Jr., Mary Grace Carpenter, Henry B. Platt, London, 1978, p. 193 no. 264. Les chefs-d'oeuvres d'art à l'Exposition Universelle 1878, Emile Bergerat, 1878, v. 1, p. 122

Curator's Notes
Edward C. Moore first presented silverwork for Tiffany & Co. at the 1867 Paris Exposition Universelle, marking his debut on the international stage. This event also introduced Japanese arts and crafts to France through the Meiji government’s exhibition of lacquerware, ceramics, woodblock prints, arms, armor, and textiles. Inspired by these works, Moore began incorporating Japanese techniques and motifs into his creations. By the 1878 Paris Exposition Universelle, Moore’s Japonisme had reached its peak. Among his masterpieces was a Japonist pitcher, earning the Grand Prize in its category. Siegfried Bing praised Moore’s work, noting: “Although their concept was not inherently original—their decorative principles were directly borrowed from the Japanese—their borrowed elements were so ingeniously transposed to serve their new function that they became the equivalent of new discoveries.” The millions of visitors to the Exposition marveled at the grace, harmony, and restraint in Moore’s silverwork, exemplified by this pitcher.
Edward C. Moore first presented silverwork for Tiffany & Co. at the 1867 Paris Exposition Universelle, marking his debut on the international stage. This event also introduced Japanese arts and crafts to France through the Meiji government’s exhibition of lacquerware, ceramics, woodblock prints, arms, armor, and textiles. Inspired by these works, Moore began incorporating Japanese techniques and motifs into his creations. By the 1878 Paris Exposition Universelle, Moore’s Japonisme had reached its peak. Among his masterpieces was a Japonist pitcher, earning the Grand Prize in its category. Siegfried Bing praised Moore’s work, noting: “Although their concept was not inherently original—their decorative principles were directly borrowed from the Japanese—their borrowed elements were so ingeniously transposed to serve their new function that they became the equivalent of new discoveries.” The millions of visitors to the Exposition marveled at the grace, harmony, and restraint in Moore’s silverwork, exemplified by this pitcher.
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