Tiffany & Co. - John C. Moore & Son - Coffee and tea service (7) - .925 silver

A seven-piece sterling silver tea and coffee service retailed by Tiffany & Co. and manufactured by John C. Moore & Son, together with a matching tea caddy bearing the Black, Starr & Frost retailer's mark. The service comprises a teapot, coffee pot, covered sugar bowl, creamer, waste bowl, and a kettle on stand with integral spirit burner. Each piece is decorated in the Aesthetic Movement taste with Orientalist motifs: chased arabesques enclosing plain cartouches on the upper body, a band of interlaced rosette-and-oval geometric ornament at the shoulder, and cast scroll, acanthus, and palmette mounts to the handles and spouts. Dome covers with conforming dome finials. The kettle stand features three openwork architectural supports, each terminating in a high-relief cast mask of an Assyrian-style female face surrounded by scrolls, foliage, and bead-and-reel ornament, rising from a square platform with cut-out corners decorated in swag ornament, raised on four ball feet and housing a three-wick spirit burner with an openwork scrolling foliate handle.

Hallmarks

Each piece of the main service is struck with the Tiffany & Co. retailer's mark, the "M" director's mark for the directorship of John C. Moore & Son (in use circa 1854–1869), pattern number 1516 (consistent with early 1860s production), and the address mark "550 Broadway." The order numbers vary across pieces (3355, 3406, 3568). The spirit burner is unmarked. The caddy bears the retailer's mark of Black, Starr & Frost (active 1874–1908) and a maker's eagle hallmark.
Maker and Retailer

John C. Moore & Son manufactured hollowware exclusively for Tiffany & Co. from 1851 in sterling silver (925/1000). The firm was acquired by Tiffany in 1868. The "M" director's letter represents Edward C. Moore, head of Tiffany's silver operations.

Condition

The teapot handle is missing two pins, is loose, and shows wear and damage to the insulators. The coffee pot handle is somewhat loose with wear to the insulators. The kettle cover does not sit flush. The stand shows deformation at the support bolts and a split near one foot. The spirit burner cover is slightly warped and one wick-cover hinge has been replaced. All pieces show minor surface pushes and scratches, concentrated on the lower bodies. The caddy shows multiple dents and pushes; its cover is warped.

Dimensions and Weight:

Teapot: H 15.2 cm × W 22.9 cm
Coffee pot: H 22.2 cm × W 19.7 cm
Kettle on stand: H 34.9 cm × W 22.9 cm
Creamer: H 12.1 cm × W 13.3 cm
Sugar bowl: H 12.7 cm × W 19.1 cm
Waste bowl: H 9.5 cm × W 13.3 cm
Caddy: H 12.7 cm × W 7.6 cm

Shipping

Will be shipped fully insured, double-boxed, with each piece individually wrapped. International shipping available.