Tiffany and Company - Vase - Walters 571706 - Profile

This vase with dragonfly handles and raised clematis vine motifs is rendered in silver with a "martelé" (hammered) surface and is decorated with colored metal encrustations. This combination of techniques recalls the work of Japanese craftsmen who once specialized in the production of swords and sword accessories. After visiting the Japanese display at the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1867, Edward Chandler Moore (1827-91), Tiffany's master silversmith, became a leading proponent of "Japonisme."