Art Institute of Chicago

Saracenic Coffee Pot and Sugar Bowl

Design attributed to Edward C. Moore (American, 1827–1891)

Date

1895

Medium

Silver and silver gilt

Culture

New York City

Department

Arts of the Americas

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

This coffee pot, with its spherical base, narrow neck, and elongated spout, is based on Islamic vessels. Tiffany and Company first incorporated Islamic elements into their wares at the Paris Universal Exposition in 1867. Edward C. Moore, the chief silver designer, drew inspiration from his own collection of Middle Eastern art objects and design books, appropriating such elements as thin, sinuous forms and intricate, repeating patterns. The undersides of these objects are engraved Florence Pullman, a Chicagoan who was the daughter of George Pullman of the Pullman Car Company, which was famous for labor strikes by workers and the formation of the first African American labor union, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters.

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