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Berry Bowl

A work made of silver, parcel-gilt silver, and copper.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of silver, parcel-gilt silver, and copper.

Date:

1885–95

Artist:

Design attributed to George W. Shiebler (American, 1846–1920)
Made by George W. Shiebler (1876–1891) or George W. Shiebler and Company (1892–1910)
New York

About this artwork

As one of many new manufacturers competing in a vast marketplace, George W. Shiebler began producing silver in the early 1870s. Although Shiebler’s firm was better known for its decorative flatware and silver jewelry, this bowl showcases the firm’s inventive design and dexterous handling of hollowware, which was made in more limited production. The intricate handle is formed of entwined branches and leaves, plums, and copper cherries, with three applied insects—a fly, a beetle, and a spider—further enhancing the object’s lifelike quality. While the vessel was inspired by Japanese naturalism, which was popular among American silver firms of the Aesthetic movement, the realistic details also reference John Ruskin’s belief that truth and beauty emerged from nature. Interestingly, the bowl is stamped with several French import marks, indicating that its American owner brought the bowl into France.

Status

On View, Gallery 161

Department

Arts of the Americas

Artist

George W. Shiebler (Designer)

Title

Berry Bowl

Place

New York City (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

c. 1885–1895

Medium

Silver, parcel-gilt silver, and copper

Inscriptions

Stamped bottom, left-middle: "S (in circle, with wings) / STERLING / 376".

Dimensions

20.2 × 35.7 × 32.2 cm (8 × 14 1/16 × 12 11/16 in.)

Credit Line

Roger and J. Peter McCormick Endowment; Vance American Arts and Mrs. Eric Oldberg funds

Reference Number

2012.1

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/213882/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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