On loan to The Met The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Love Cup
The densely chased decoration on this cup showcases the skill and artistry of Tiffany’s craftspeople. Described as "Sou Chow," a term the firm also applied to the Mackay service on view nearby and other silver chased in repoussé with floral motifs, the cup resulted from careful study of botanical specimens and the arts of China, Japan, India, and West Asia. To make the cup appear to be blanketed with thick layers of flowers, the silversmiths chased the ornament at different depths—a feat that captured the attention of critics and the public alike. An 1885 article in Connoisseur, for example, waxes poetic about the firm’s ability to "conceive how flowers would look if they bloomed in silver."
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