Wood & Hughes 'Japanese' Pattern Aesthetic Movement Antique Sterling Silver Covered Soup Tureen, New York City, early 1870's

Holloware with Japanese inspired decoration is very rare. This tureen was made about 1870 by the important firm of Wood & Hughes.

The circular base is a stepped, pedestal design with the central low column being adorned with a decorative band.

The same banding is used around the upper edge of the bowl and consists of exotic foliage including sprigs of flowers, leaves and lily-of-the valley amongst Japonesque birds and butterflies in flight against a stippled background.

The handles are stunning. Flat wires with fine beading to the edges are twisted to create a lovely aesthetic scrolling design. The gracefully curved handles are attached to the sides of the bowl and are strengthened by scroll attachments.

The domed cover is decorated with a central, circular flute and is surmounted with an unusual finial. The pagoda-inspired finial is very unique with a small column and demi-sphere with a beaded edge on top. The sides of the structure are decorated in the same fashion as the handles with twisted, beaded wire forming a foliate design.

This is a very elegant tureen with a plain, lovely reflective surface. It accentuates the unusual and beautiful decorative elements.

Wood & Hughes's 'Japanese' pattern was inspired by and closely resembles Tiffany's "Japanese' pattern (design patented April 18, 1871).

According to private scholar D. Albert Soeffing, the resemblance was so close that Tiffany & Co. sued Wood & Hughes for patent infringement on November 11, 1874. Within a month, Wood & Hughes pleaded guilty and their settlement with Tiffany included an injunction against the manufacture of this pattern. (D. Albert Soeffing, 'The Battle of the Birds: Japanese Patterns of the 1870's' in Silver Magazine, May/June 1995, pp. 18-23.)

This rare soup tureen could only have been made from 1871-74.

Marked underneath 'W&H/ STERLING/ 27', this antique tureen measures 10 inches in circumference and 15 inches wide across the handles. It measures 11.5 inches high, weighs 59.30 troy ounces and is in excellent antique condition.