The Bryant Vase
Commissioned by friends and funded by national subscription to honor the poet and journalist William Cullen Bryant on his eightieth birthday, this vase took Tiffany & Co. over a year to create. Described by the designer as "a Greek vase, with the most beautiful American flowers growing round and entwining themselves gracefully about it," the form simultaneously alludes to Bryant’s translation of the Iliad and the Odyssey by the ancient poet Homer, reflects prevailing interests in classical art, and refers to Moore’s collection of vases. The commissioners stipulated that the vase be given to The Met, and after creating a sensation at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition, it became the first American silver object in the Museum’s collection.
#4526. The Bryant Vase
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