Tiffany & Co.
Eight Butterfly Napkin Clips

Public Domain

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Manufacturer Tiffany & Co.New York, established 1837

CultureAmerican

Titles

Eight Butterfly Napkin Clips

Date1878

PlaceUnited States

MediumSterling silver, gilt, and enamel

DimensionsOverall (Each): 3/4 × 2 7/16 × 3 3/8 in. (1.9 × 6.2 × 8.6 cm)

Credit LineMuseum purchase funded by the Alice Pratt Brown Museum Fund

Object number91.1328.1-.8

Not on view

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Department

Decorative Arts, Craft, and Design

Object Type

METALWORK

DescriptionThese spring-hinged butterfly clips are part of the celebrated 19th-century silver service commissioned by John "The Silver King" Mackay and his wife. The sumptuous service for 24 was made from nearly one ton of silver sent directly from the Comstock mine to Tiffany & Co. in New York. An Irish immigrant, Mackay became a multimillionaire in 1873 from his stake in the Comstock Lode, one of the largest silver strikes in history. The year after joining the ranks of the richest families in America, Mrs. Mackay travelled down into the mine to see the source of their wealth. Surrounded by the rich veins of silver, she is said to have asked her husband if they could make a “fine and memorable thing” from it. The Mackay service pieces, as seen here, were heavily ornamented with references to Persian and Mughal, as well as Chinese and Japanese, designs.

ProvenanceJohn W. and Marie Louise Mackay; by descent to their grandson, John W. Mackay III; [Christie's, New York, sale 7294, June 25, 1991, lot 15 and 16]; purchased by MFAH, 1991.

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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