An American silver "Mooresque" six-piece tea and coffee set, designed by Edward C. Moore, made by John C. Moore Co.for Tiffany & Co., New York, dated 1867

 the pear-shaped bodies chased with moorish-style strapwork, repeated in the openwork brackets for the handles, spouts, and finials, the reserved engraved "ASW Dec. 5th 1867"

some overall wear, particularly to engraved dates; one handle of urn g;ied at insulator, ding to creamer, dent near spout of coffee pot, short split to reserve of teapot; otherwise good, nice weight and important early Tiffany design
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Edward C. Moore derived the engraved "Moresque" decoration on these piece from plates 22 and 23 in Owen Jones Plans, Elevations, Sections and Details of the Alhambra.  The handles of the creamer and sugar bowl he copied from the handle of an early 16th century Persian brass jug in his collection, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art;; a drawing for the handle from Moore's Sketchbook II, dated november 1865, is illustrated by Charles Carpenter in Tiffany Silver (revised edition, fig. 68, p. 60).  Carpenter also records the factory price for the pieces: $119.25 for the Teapot, $136.75 for the Coffee Pot, $91.25 for the Sugar bowl, $78.50 for the Creamer, and $75.25 for the Bowl; the five-piece set had a total plant cost of $501.000, and would have retailed in 1867 for about $1,000.

Moore showed this pattern at the 1867 Exposition Universelle in Paris; a three-piece tea set can be seen in images of Tiffany's display at the fair (John Loring, Magnificent TIffany Silver, p. 60).  Tiffany's silverware won a bronze medal at this fair - as Tiffany's touted in its advertisements, "the only award ever made by a foreign country to American manufacturers fo silver".  The Philadelphia Museum of Art has a parcel-gilt three-piece set in this pattern, currently included in the exhibit Inventing the Modern World: Decorative Arts at the World's Fairs, 1851-1939.