- Museum number
- 1978,1002.1074
- Description
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A pair of engraved gold bracelets with applied foliate ornament in two-colour gold and platinum, engraved with a monogram and with dated inscriptions on both interiors. Both marked on circular applied gold labels and in the original leather and velvet case.
- Production date
- 1876-1882 (circa)
- Dimensions
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Length: 6.90 centimetres
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Width: 1.90 centimetres
- $Inscriptions
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- Curator's comments
- Text from catalogue of the Hull Grundy Gift (Gere et al 1984) no. 1060:
Tiffany's first became known for jewellery and silverwork in the Japanese style at the time of the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition in 1876. In 1878 they were awarded a gold medal at the Paris Exposition and their work in the Japanese style was particularly commended in the jury reports. The date of the 1873 inscription is surprisingly early for an example of this type of work but the monogram confirms that they were nonetheless made for the earlier owner. The firm was established as early as 1841, but only embarked on the manufacture of jewellery in about 1848. A brief account of the firm will be found in Gere 1975 (p. 222-4). A fuller account was privately printed by Tiffany & Co. in 1893. (see Stoddart 1893). See also 978. (Charlotte Gere).
Information supplementary to Hull Grundy catalogue:
For Tiffany & Co.'s Japanese-style jewelery in coloured gold and platinum, see C. Gere & J. Rudoe, 'Jewellery in the Age of Queen Victoria: A Mirror to the World', London, British Museum, 2010, fig. 272 p.315. See also Annamarie Sandecki, 'Charmingly minute Tiffany Japanese-style Jewellery', in Journal of the Decorative Arts Society, no. 34, 2010, pp. 42-57.
Sarah Lindley Fox (1855-82), one of the names inscribed inside the bracelets, came from a prominent Philadelphia family. She was the daughter of Samuel Mickle Fox and Mary Rodman Fisher (daughter of William Logan and Sarah Fisher, née Lindley). Her death was recorded by 'The Churchman', vol. 46, 29 January 1882, p. 123:
'At the home of her mother, in Philadelphia, of typhoid fever, June 20th, 1882, MISS SARAH LINDLEY FOX. A future of rare promise for usefulness and devotion in the Church, was closed on earth by the death of this young lady. Endowed with wealth, position and culture, she laid all at the feet of her Master, whose humble follower she was. Devoted and self-denying, loving and beloved, she leaves an aching void in the family circle, and in the hearts of her friends.'
The dates following the inscribed names appear to have been transposed. The death date of Sarah Lindley Fox, 20 June 1882, follows the second name, Fanny A. Logan. Sarah Lindley Fox's name is followed by the date 1873, the significance of which is unclear. Fanny A. Logan may be a relative on Sarah Fox's mother's side, Frances Armatt Logan (1854-98), great grand-daughter of Deborah Norris Logan and George Logan (information from http://records.ancestry.com, Fox family history: http//:www.historicpa.net, and Logan family papers: http://dla.library.upenn.edu, all accessed 25 Jan 2014). The only reference to the date 1873 in these family histories is the marriage of Fances A. Logan's cousin, Algernon Sydney Logan, on 4 November 1873. The bracelets are characteristic of Tiffany's Japanese-style work of around 1878, and so may have been engraved later, after the death of Sarah Lindley Fox.
- Location
- On display (G47/dc12)
- Acquisition date
- 1978
- Department
- Britain, Europe and Prehistory
- Registration number
- 1978,1002.1074
- Additional IDs
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Miscellaneous number: HG.1074 (masterlist number)