"Saracenic" Coffee Pot and Sugar Bowl

Discussion

FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

This coffee pot, with its spherical base, narrow neck, and elongated spout, is based on Islamic vessels. Tiffany and Company first incorporated Islamic elements into their wares at the Paris Universal Exposition in 1867. Edward C. Moore, the chief silver designer, drew inspiration from his own collection of Middle Eastern art objects and design books, appropriating such elements as thin, sinuous forms and intricate, repeating patterns. The undersides of these objects are engraved Florence Pullman, a Chicagoan who was the daughter of George Pullman of the Pullman Car Company, which was famous for labor strikes by workers and the formation of the first African American labor union, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters.

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