Cup

Description

This beverage set including a pitcher, six beakers and a triangular tray are sophisticated reproductions of a Tiffany & Company silver set, but they were made and marked to deceive. Close physical examination reveals that where Japonesque ornament such as the waterscape of plants, insects, and fish would have been applied to the surface on a Tiffany marked silver set, this set's ornament has the appearance of hand-chasing, but actually was created by electroforming. Analytical testing revealed another clue -- the metal used is silverplated copper rather than sterling silver. The maker/retailer marks are also spurious, but deceptively close copies to those used by Tiffany & Company. This is one of several similar beverage sets, attesting to their appeal in the marketplace and the cunning of the workshop producing such fakes. A silver dealer donated this set to Winterthur to be a resource for collectors of Tiffany silver.