Tray or Waiter
Decorative Arts and Design
On View: American Art Galleries, 5th Floor, The United States on the World Stage, 1865–1930
Exhibited in Tiffany’s display at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, this tray is evidence of the nineteenth-century search for America’s roots in its pre-European cultures. The object is based on the famous “sun calendar” of the Aztecs. The calendar had been excavated in Mexico City about a hundred years before and had become an icon of the pre-Columbian past.
MEDIUM
Silver, agate
DATES
ca. 1893
DIMENSIONS
2 x 21 x 21 x 21 in. (5.1 x 53.3 x 53.3 x 53.3 cm)
(show scale)
MARKINGS
Impressed on back: "TIFFANY & Co / 11361 [globe over T under TIFFANY & Co -- mark for 1893 fair] 4767 / STERLING SILVER / 925-1000"
SIGNATURE
no signature
INSCRIPTIONS
no inscriptions
ACCESSION NUMBER
87.182
CREDIT LINE
Modernism Benefit Fund
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION
Circular tray or waiter (plateau sur table), raised on 10 stepped, ornamented feet, each representing stylized Aztec deity and each crowned by scalloped, semi-circular, brown and black agate disk headdress that rises above gallery. Between each foot is sloping pierced band with stylized, engraved ornament. Between the headdresses is gallery of low, pierced arcade of repeating arches, each centered with small, elaborate cartouche. Center of tray slopes in concave curve away from gallery; surface is ornamented with acid-etched replica of the Aztec sun calendar.
CONDITION: Normal wear. One agate headdress (just left of lower center) replaced with enameled copper.
CAPTION
Tiffany & Company (American, founded 1853). Tray or Waiter, ca. 1893. Silver, agate, 2 x 21 x 21 x 21 in. (5.1 x 53.3 x 53.3 x 53.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Modernism Benefit Fund, 87.182. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 87.182_bw.jpg)
IMAGE
overall, 87.182_bw.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
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RIGHTS STATEMENT
Creative Commons-BY
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we welcome any additional information you might have.
What was this tray made for?
This sterling silver tray was made to be displayed by Tiffany & Co. at the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago. International fairs were an opportunity for manufacturers to showcase the talent of their craftsmen and designers. Tiffany & Co. drew design inspiration from a range of different cultural sources, including Japan, Egypt, Greece, the Celts, and Aztecs. This tray is based on the Aztec calendar stone that symbolizes the creation of the Aztec universe. Each foot that the tray rests upon is a representation of an Aztec deity.
I would like to know more about this object please.
This tray is made of sterling silver and is by Tiffany & Company. The tray depicts Aztec imagery using a stylized version of the Aztec Calendar. this calendar symbolizes the creation of the Aztec universe. Each foot of the tray is also a representation of an Aztec Deity. It was likely exhibited at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago. It was produced during a time when there was a growing interest in Native American art among collectors and tourists.
Who would be using this tray? Do we know where this tray came from?
Good question. It was initially made as an exhibition showpiece, to demonstrate the company’s technical abilities. After the World’s Fair, it was eventually acquired by William Randolph Hearst. It entered the Brooklyn Museum's collection by way of the Modernism Benefit Fund.
Great info. Thanks!