Art Institute of Chicago

Berry Bowl

Design attributed to George W. Shiebler (American, 1846–1920)

Date

1885–95

Medium

Silver, parcel-gilt silver, and copper

Culture

New York City

Department

Arts of the Americas

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

As one of many new manufacturers competing in a vast marketplace, George W. Shiebler began producing silver in the early 1870s. Although Shiebler’s firm was better known for its decorative flatware and silver jewelry, this bowl showcases the firm’s inventive design and dexterous handling of hollowware, which was made in more limited production. The intricate handle is formed of entwined branches and leaves, plums, and copper cherries, with three applied insects—a fly, a beetle, and a spider—further enhancing the object’s lifelike quality. While the vessel was inspired by Japanese naturalism, which was popular among American silver firms of the Aesthetic movement, the realistic details also reference John Ruskin’s belief that truth and beauty emerged from nature. Interestingly, the bowl is stamped with several French import marks, indicating that its American owner brought the bowl into France.

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