A rare American silver and enamelled 108 piece 'Lap-Over-Edge' flatware service

Tiffany & Co, New York, circa 1891, stamped 'M' for Edward Moore period (1873-1891) or 'T' for Charles Tiffany period (1892-1902), incuse stamped TIFFANY & CO / STERLING / PAT. 1880 (108)

Footnotes

Lot Research
For Tiffany & Co., 'Lap Over Edge' is often regarded as the most innovative silver flatware they ever produced. This opulent and ground-breaking design incorporates Japanese style naturalistic motifs, such as flora and fauna, animals and insects, and is in the aesthetic taste. It is not merely an imitation of Japanese decoration, but an adaptation of Japanese artistry and traditional techniques. This cross-cultural hybrid approach generated originality of form, creating a new and exciting experimental approach to silverwork. Tiffany & Co. broke with the rigidity of the past to create a new artistic sensibility, which was in turn both beautiful and functional. To therefore understand why 'Lap Over Edge' is regarded with such high esteem, and why the service on offer here is so rare, it is worth summarising its creation relative to Tiffany & Co.'s history.

In 1837, Tiffany & Co. was founded in New York by Charles Louis Tiffany (1812-1902) and partners, as a luxury goods business (formerly known as 'Tiffany & Young', then 'Tiffany, Young & Ellis'). Around 1848, after forming close importing ties with Europe, Tiffany began to focus on two mercantile lines – silver and precious stones, which established the foundation for their future worldwide reputation. From 1847 to 1851, Tiffany retailed silver from several New York silversmiths, which included Henry Hebbard, Gale & Hughes, Wood & Hughes, and John C. Moore amongst others, with pieces they sold always stamped with the maker's mark and also that of Tiffany ('Tiffany, Young & Ellis' at that time). The demand in silverware increased, both for household and presentation pieces, which led Charles Tiffany and his partners to the decision that it made economic sense to bring the silver-manufacturing in-house. John C. Moore was their man of choice, who happened to be one of the finest silversmiths in New York at that time, working from his silver manufactory in Prince Street. Moore was to manufacture exclusively for Tiffany, but they still retailed silverware from other makers besides Moore. Moore was only making the hollow-ware during this period, with the flatware coming from outside makers. In 1853, Charles Tiffany gained total control of the firm on the retirement of his partners Young and Ellis, with the firm officially acquiring the name 'Tiffany & Co.'.

Tiffany & Co. was soon regarded as the leading silverware house in New York, but what is of note is that in 1851, soon after the arrangement with John Moore was made, John retired and handed the reins over to his twenty-four-year-old son Edward Chandler Moore (1827-1891). Trained by his father, Edward Moore was a first-rate silversmith and designer, who had the eye and emotional response of an artist. In addition, he had the people skills to manage a silver workshop, combined with an innate entrepreneurial spirit. As a man he was a quiet visionary who did not encourage the limelight, and an educator who liked others to flourish under his leadership. It therefore made sense that in 1868, given the success and size Tiffany's had grown, that Edward Moore's silver manufactory was officially incorporated into Tiffany & Co. Moore was assigned chief designer and director of the firm's silverworks, serving from 1868 until his passing in 1891.

Prior to the date of incorporation with Moore, Tiffany's silver was well made but rather conservative and traditional in form, following simple classical lines. The Civil War (fought between 1861 and 1865) negatively impacted many aspects of American life (which included silver design and production) and after such a grim period in the history of the United States, the American people desired change and a sense of newness; a departure from the old. For Moore, trips to Europe and specifically the 1867 Exposition Universelle opened that creative door. After Japanese ports reopened to trade with the West in 1854, shiploads of exotic oriental merchandise began pouring into France. In 1867, to nurture new business opportunities with the West, Japan decided to hold its first formal arts and crafts exhibition at the Paris Exposition Universelle, sharing their pavilion area with China and Siam. The exhibition attracted a great deal of international interest. Attended by Moore, Tiffany & Co.'s first trade show was held at this exhibition and was a relatively modest offering by European standards. To the astonishment of the established order, Tiffany & Co. won the bronze medal, which was the first time an American company had been awarded a medal by a foreign jury.

For Moore, the exposure to International Exhibitions helped open up a world outside of the narrow constraints of America and Europe, and he became fascinated by the art which existed outside of the western canon. The possibilities of the exotic 'other', specifically Japanese inspired and 'Orientalism', fuelled his creativity. However, from a business point of view, Charles Tiffany and Edward Moore were also astute enough to know that for the company to achieve financial success, they needed to expand internationally and offer silver that was artistically unique. International Exhibitions and their capacity for worldwide exposure and creative input, were the ideal marketing tool for an American company with big ambitions.

Therefore, in response to what he had seen in 1867, Moore began to assemble a significant collection of non-Western art and artefacts, to both educate and inspire Tiffany's designers and craftsmen. Over the following years he acquired over 2000 objects, which included Japanese art textiles, metalwork, lacquer work, ceramics, baskets and books (bequeathed in 1891 to the Metropolitan Museum of Art). It was a decorative vocabulary that was diverse, to encourage his craftsman to experiment and be inspired. The aesthetic adopted and developed by Moore was artistically revolutionary and energetic, a reaction against established Victorian taste and poorly designed and executed products. In effect, it was a rallying cry against the greyness of the industrial revolution, mass production and the loss of artistic integrity, plus a breaking away from oppressive European traditions in order to develop an American artistic individualism. Moore appeared to echo the philosophic ideologies espoused by William Morris, the pioneer of the Arts and Crafts movement, who was operating at the same time in England. As William Morris stated in his lecture 'The Beauty of Life' in 1880, 'Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful'.

Hence, 'Lap Over Edge' fulfilled Moore's artistic ideals of usefulness and beauty combined. Prior to 1868 no flatware had been produced within Tiffany & Co's silver manufactory, however Moore had been sketching flatware ideas since the 1850s. From 1868 onwards, Moore single-handedly propelled Tiffany & Co. into the lucrative flatware business, by bringing all manufacture in-house. Moore obtained six flatware design patents in the 1869-1872 period and two more in 1878 and 1879, starting with 'Tiffany', and followed by 'Italian', 'Cook (Saratoga)', 'Japanese' (which became known as 'Audubon'), 'Palm', 'Persian', 'Mackay' (private pattern), 'Olympian', 'Old French' and 'J.P. Morgan' (private pattern). In addition, the 'Vine', 'Grape Vine' and 'Tomato Vine' patterns are also attributed to Moore.

Moore began working with his lead designer and head silversmith Charles T. Grosjean (1842-1888) to further develop and incorporate his ideas, by including Far Eastern design philosophy and stylistic tropes into Tiffany's projects. As such, 'Lap Over Edge' was the first flatware pattern designed by Charles T. Grosjean for Tiffany & Co. in 1880 and patented on April 13th that year under Patent Number 11728, implementing a design aesthetic which was daringly different and helped pave the way for the Art Nouveau movement.

It is therefore important to understand how this service on offer differs from the 'Standard Issue' 'Lap Over Edge' Tiffany flatware. 'Standard Issue' was still expensive to make, but nothing compared to their custom-made order that can be seen on offer here. A 'Standard Issue' (regular) 'Lap Over Edge' piece comprised of a machine-made sterling blank, with rolled handle edges turned towards the back, or sometimes towards the front, making the edges of the handles thicker than the middles. Thus, the name 'Lap Over Edge' was a logical description of the form. The terminal shape could vary, with decorative etching plus engraving and/or chasing carried out by hand, and (more rarely) with applied or inlaid ornamentation. Each piece was then finished with a creatively suitable engraved or acid etched monogram, a signature device which Tiffany became known for on their silver flatware, identifying the wealthy owner.

Every item within a 'Lap Over Edge' service incorporated a different design; not only was the decoration on the knives different from that on the forks, spoons etc, but also each knife differed within the spread of knives, the same for the forks, spoons and so on, giving a more random and unique appearance to the service as a whole. 'Lap Over Edge' as a design was a refinement and evolution of what Moore had achieved at the 1878 Paris Exposition. Tiffany and Co., with designs by Moore, had won the grand prize "for its entirely revolutionary introduction of designs liberated from Western Europe's rigid and overused design vocabularies and based on the superbly refined, organic and naturalistic design aesthetic of Japan," as stated Loring in 'Magnificent Tiffany Silver'.

In the Tiffany Archives, design drawings featuring images taken from the natural world can be found showing the decoration used on 'Lap Over Edge', all skilfully executed and with detailed instructions. The illustrations were inspired by Japanese design books and the famous woodcut sketchbook 'Manga', by the Japanese artist 'Hokusai' (1760-1849). Moore's late 1860s sketchbook confirms that in circa 1867 he began designing in a Japonesque style, and this new direction correlates to his visit to the 1867 Paris Exposition, as prior to this there is no evidence of Japanese influence. For additional archival reference, Charles T. Grosjean's own diaries and notebooks from 1877-83, consisting of 15 volumes, are held in the Gorham Company Archive, Rhode Island. They also offer an intimate insight into the workings of Tiffany's Prince Street silver manufactory, with his musings on design, novel techniques and experiments, and the day-to-day running of the workshop.

However, what makes this 'Lap Over Edge' service on offer so exclusive and indeed rare, is that this was a 'Special Order' hence custom-made flatware service, created as a one-off to an individual's specification. This was not an 'off the shelf' order - every piece was hand struck and hand worked with acid etching and engraving, the unique selling point being that every handle was hand-decorated with complex, multi-coloured champlevé enamelling. Realistic studies of all types of flowers and leaves, including daffodils, snowdrops, delphiniums, thistles, roses, lilacs and so on, (and sometimes geometric shapes), grace every handle. Each item was embellished with jewel-like enamelling, producing a mini-masterpiece on each piece within the service. The technique was complex and beautifully intricate, creating a colourful, naturalistic 'painterly' effect which had not been seen before on silver flatware. It was a labour intensive and costly process, and could not have been afforded by anyone other than the very wealthiest of Americans; a signifier of the Gilded Age and conspicuous consumption. 'Lap Over Edge' as a service was not designed, or ever intended, for mass production – this enamelled 'Special Order' service could only have been ordered and afforded by the elite of American society.

It is therefore significant to note that up until 1878, Tiffany did no in-house enamelling. In fact, no American silver firm had this on-site facility, as demonstrated by the 1860 Industrial Census of New York City, which showed that enamelling was a specialist trade within specialists' firms and did not exist outside this limited circle. It was only when Tiffany were commissioned to create the magnificent 'Mackay Service' consisting of 1250 pieces, that Moore decided that enamelling should be brought in-house. As Charles Grosjean writes in his journal dated February 14th, 1878, "Decided upon the style of Coffee Cup for Mackey order. They were to be enamelled. On April 25th, Mr. Pearce and Mr. Kursh took a cup to enamel, Mr Kursh thought it would turn out very well." The decision was made for Tiffany & Co. to enamel the cups themselves, and on May 13, "Mr Dimes is to go to Philadelphia and have Mr Kursh show him how to enamel & also furnish the enamels for our work."

This is the first documented example of Tiffany & Co. carrying out their own enamelling, an artform they would develop and make their own – uniquely 'American', and a key identifier for them worldwide. The following decade, Edward C. Moore, Charles Grosjean, and Richard and Joseph Dimes collaboratively perfected their technique, creating a Tiffany style of enamelling which featured a matte surface and soft polychrome colours. It is technically a very complex process, as enamel is a melting material which can be composed of a variety of substances, such as silica, feldspars or other metal oxides. During its heating (which can vary according to the materials used) the mixture will vitrify in a more or less opaque way. Intense heat is used to fuse the melting enamel substrate onto a prepared metal surface, allowing the metalworker to create brightly coloured images within depressed cells (by for example incising) into a metal background. This would need to be fired multiple times using a series of layers to build up the colour. It is a time-consuming and labour-intensive process. That the 'Lap Over Edge' flatware on offer here has this painstakingly applied technique on every single piece is remarkable, and rare given the costs involved.

As stated in William P. Hood's seminal work 'Tiffany Silver Flatware, 1845 – 1905' on page 229, 'What may be the most magnificent flatware ever made by Tiffany & Co. is illustrated in Figures 344a and 344b. This is a one-of-a-kind dessert service for twelve in Lap Over Edge, ordered as a wedding present for Mary Louise Easton of La Crosse, WI by her parents in 1891. Each three-piece place setting has a distinctive handle decoration design consisting of stylized plants and leaves, and geometrics, all done in a forerunner of the Art Nouveau style. The execution, which is nothing short of incredible, is by etching/engraving plus multi-colored champlevé enamelling ...'

But, and this is the key point, our service is more-or-less identical, so mistakenly Hood believed that the Easton flatware service was the only Tiffany & Co. 'Lap Over Edge' service made with this 'custom-made' enamelled design. However, what is apparent is the 108-piece 'Lap Over Edge' service on offer here is the same, apart from a variance in the gilding and the monogram being a 'T'. In addition, the 'Lap Over Edge' design was deemed inactive by 1904 (no more was ever made) and became obsolete in 1934. As such, for a bespoke Tiffany & Co. 'Lap Over Edge' silver flatware service of 108-pieces to surface after all this time, of such exquisite quality and rarity, is truly remarkable.

So, who ordered this service? To date, the original owner from circa 1891 has unfortunately not been ascertained. Whoever it was had reached a stratum of wealth not shared by the ordinary American citizen. This 'Lap Over Edge' service would have been aspirational, a status symbol for an individual who had actualised 'The American Dream'; the three words which shape the core framework and identity of the United States. The land of the free, with supposedly endless opportunities and possibilities. Nathan M. Ohrbach (1885-1972) was the kind of young man who epitomised this ethos. Born in Vienna in 1885 and taken to the United States at the age of two, in 1907 he married Matilda Kane (known as 'Tillie'), who had been born in Warsaw in 1887. He originally went into the retail dry goods business and opened his first store in 1911. In 1923, financed by Tillie's wealthy family, he launched his first major department store under the name of 'Ohrbach's', in a building located on Union Square, Manhattan. Coincidentally, Tiffany's headquarters had also been based in Union Square in 1870, until they moved in 1905.

Ohrbach's entrepreneurship predated the giant discount‐store movement by more than two decades, with a retail philosophy that gave rise to numerous other low‐price clothing stores run under the same principles. Ohrbach, who made his stores' slogan, "A Business in Millions, a Profit in Pennies," familiar to shoppers from coast to coast, became one of America's best‐known retailers by selling replicas of high fashion items seen on the Paris catwalks, at low prices. After 1923 Ohrbach's fortune began to grow, with a further eight department stores opening in both metropolitan New York and the greater Los Angeles areas. With their new found wealth, Nathan and Tillie bought a large country estate outside New York, situated in Peekskill, Westchester, called 'Crugers'. It was at this point that the Ohrbach's purchased, or were gifted, the Tiffany & Co. 'Lap Over Edge' 108-piece flatware service. It has been mooted that Tillie, who was a great hostess and rather ostentatious, would have loved the service because of the monogrammed 'T' for Tillie and the fact that it was such a statement silver service. It was an overt signifier of wealth and displayed a certain position in society when entertaining, reflecting the affluence and taste of its owner.

The flatware service was consequently handed down to their son Jerome Kane Ohrbach (1907-1990), who was the president of Ohrbach's prior to its sale in 1962 to a European conglomerate. He then became the principal owner of the 'Factory', an infamous discotheque that opened in 1967 in Los Angeles and whose backers included Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, Paul Newman and Pierre Salinger. The 'Lap Over Edge' flatware service has thence been handed down by family descent to the present owner.

Literature
Charles H. Carpenter Jr. with Mary Grace Carpenter, 'Tiffany Silver', (London: Peter Owen Ltd, 1979)
Sarah Booth Conroy, 'The Taste for Silver', The Washington Post, April 8, 1979
Encyclopaedia Judaica, 'Nathan M. Ohrbach (1885-1972)', (The Gale Group, 2008)
Medill Higgins Harvey et al, 'Collecting Inspiration: Edward C. Moore at Tiffany & Co.', (New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2021)
William P. Hood Jr., 'Tiffany Silver Flatware, 1845-1905, When Dining Was an Art', (Woodbridge Suffolk: Antique Collectors' Club, 1988)
John Loring, 'Magnificent Tiffany Silver', (New York: Harry N. Abrams. Inc., 2001)
Katharine Morrison McClinton, 'Collecting American 19th Century Silver', (New York; Charles Scribner's Sons, 1968)
Stephanie Opolski, 'Tiffany & Co. Enameled Silver at the Columbian Exposition of 1893', Bonhams Skinners, July 17, 2020, blog
Spencer Marks Ltd, 'Enamel on Tiffany & Co. Silver', accessed via www.spencermarks.com/blogs/journal/enamel-on-tiffany-co-silver
Spencer Marks Ltd, 'The Mackay Service', accessed via www.spencermarks.com/blogs/journal/the-mackay-service-tiffany-co-s-greatest-service
'The Sun – obituary for Mr Edward C. Moore', New York, Aug 04 1891,
page 2
Thorstein Veblen, 'The Theory of the Leisure Class', reissue edition (Oxford: Oxford World's Classics, 2009)