Napkin Clip, 1 of 2

Charles T. Grosjean; Tiffany & Company

Object Label

When John W. Mackay, a poor Irish immigrant, struck it rich prospecting for silver in Nevada, he sent Tiffany & Company a half ton of silver to fashion an expansive 1,250-piece dinner service. These napkin clips, made of gold-plated silver with beautiful enamel decoration inspired by Near Eastern textiles, were part of the service. When one pinches the wings of the butterflies upward, the lower body separates and clasps the napkin. The upper body of each insect bears the Tiffany-invented Mackay coat-of-arms and the motto "Et dieu mon appui" (God is my support).

Caption

Charles T. Grosjean (American, died 1888); Tiffany & Company (American, founded 1853). Napkin Clip, 1 of 2, 1878–1879. Gilt silver and enamel, 2 1/2 x 3 1/4 x 3/4 in. (6.4 x 8.3 x 1.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the American Art Council, 1991.101.1.

Gallery

Luce Visible Storage and Study Center, 5th Floor

Collection

Decorative Arts and Design

Gallery

Luce Visible Storage and Study Center, 5th Floor

Collection

Decorative Arts and Design

Designer

Charles T. Grosjean

Maker

Tiffany & Company

Title

Napkin Clip, 1 of 2

Date

1878–1879

Geography

Place made: New York, New York, United States

Medium

Gilt silver and enamel

Classification

(not assigned)

Dimensions

2 1/2 x 3 1/4 x 3/4 in. (6.4 x 8.3 x 1.9 cm)

Markings

On inside of one underside of body: STERLING SILVER. On inside of other underside of body: TIFFANY & Co (in arch) /5627 M 6557 (?). On underside of one wing near body: ET in small rectangle (French import mark). On top side of one wing: small indecipherable mark.

Credit Line

Gift of the American Art Council

Accession Number

1991.101.1

Frequent Art Questions

What are these?
Wow, how beautiful! These napkin clips were designed by Charles Grosjean for Tiffany & Company when John W. Mackay, a poor Irish immigrant, got rich looking for silver in Nevada. He sent Tiffany & Co. a half ton of silver and requested a 1,250 piece dinner service of which these were a part. To use them, the wings would be pinched and the body would separate to clasp onto a napkin.
Its beautiful! I like the simple design. Tiffany did a lot more than lamps?
This toast rack, while it looks very modern, was actually created around 1880. The industrial designer and a leading designer of his time, Christopher Dresser, created forward-looking designs.
Tiffany has created an array of objects ranging from lamps, to stained glass windows, to jewelry (probably the things they are best known for) as well as household objects like this toast holder. On the 5th floor in one of the galleries we even have "napkin clips" on display, made by Tiffany! They are beautiful little butterfly-shaped napkin clips.
So cool! Thank you!
I would like to know what style of enamel these are -- plique a jour or champleve?
Hi--great question! Let me see if we have any info on that, it may take a moment. Are you an artist who works with enamel?
Yes I am!
Very cool! These were made with champlevé.
Great, thanks!
No problem!
Are napkin clips used more like paperweights or for beautiful decoration for the table?
They are used more for decoration and to hold the folded napkins' shape than to weigh them down. These clips were part of a 1,250 piece silver dinner service designed by Tiffany. The table must have looked absolutely gorgeous when it was fully set!
Would these be clipped to clothing?
They are actually Tiffany napkin rings!