The history of metalworking spans centuries; it is a story of scientific and artistic discovery and innovation. Silver and other metals offer limitless possibilities to the artists who work in these media. By employing a range of different techniques, silversmiths and metalworkers achieve myriad shapes, textures, and colors. Throughout the nineteenth century, American artists, designers, and craftsmen became increasingly aware of and engaged with artistic practices cultivated across the globe. This exposure to new decorative vocabularies, aesthetic sensibilities, artistic mediums, and techniques—brought to their attention through trade, publications, international exhibitions, Western Imperialism, and personal travel—sparked an efflorescence of creative energy as Americans began to define and assert their own distinctive visual identity.
At the forefront of this quest for innovation was Tiffany & Co. Founded in 1837, the firm became the leading American manufacturer and purveyor of fine silver and jewelry. During the second half of the nineteenth century, the designers and silversmiths at Tiffany & Co. demonstrated unprecedented originality and creativity, producing extraordinarily lavish and inventive metalwork. Inspired by artworks ranging from thirteenth century Syrian metalwork to Roman glass, Japanese basketry, and Chinese ceramics collected by the director of the silver division, Edward C. Moore, the artisans at Tiffany set out to endow their metalwork with dynamic ornamentation and rich tonal variation. In some cases, they employed familiar techniques, while much of their work featured new, innovative methods. Although they studied metalwork from East and West Asia and the Middle East, they did not know precisely how these objects were created. Instead, they experimented and through trial and error developed methods of replicating the techniques and effects observed in these non-Western wares.
To achieve these results, silversmiths at Tiffany & Co. were not solely relying on the metalworking skills and techniques that had been honed over their careers. They were working directly with chemists to develop alloys and new patination techniques and as well as capitalizing on newly developed technologies that utilized electricity.
This online feature, which accompanies the 2021 Met Publication Collecting Inspiration: Edward C. Moore at Tiffany & Co., outlines a selection of techniques explored by nineteenth-century American silversmiths. Through the descriptions of each technique, accompanied by animated images, illustrative works from The Met collection, and primary source material related to the operation of Tiffany & Co., you will learn the ways silversmiths employed these processes to invest a traditionally monochromatic medium with a wide range of tonal effects.
Enormous thanks to Wendy Yothers, Artisan, Society of American Silversmiths and Professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology; Thomas S. Madden, Professor of Metalsmithing and Jewelry Design at the College for Creative Studies; and Tomoyuki Chie Teratani, Assistant Professor of Jewelry Design at the Fashion Institute of Technology for demonstrating these techniques. You can find full videos of their demonstrations at the end of each article.
