The Mackay Service: A Set of Twelve American Silver-Gilt And Enamel Coffee Cups And Saucers, Tiffany & Co., New York, circa 1878

the inverted pear-form cups enameled with bands of arches and gilt flowerheads within blue and red enamel panels, the center enameled with the Hungerford arms beneath a thistle crest and above monogram MLM all on a cream color ground and flanked by gilt foliage on a purple ground and blue cornflower sprays on white ground panels, the loop handles formed of three overlapping leaves, the matching shaped circular saucers enameled with alternating panels of blue flowers on white ground and white flowers on purple ground

John C. and Mary-Louise (Hungerford) Mackay
Sotheby's, New York, January 28, 30 and 31, 1994, lot 557

Paris Exposition Universelle, 1878, Tiffany display

Charles H. Carpenter, Jr., Tiffany Silver (revised. 1997), pp. 48-58, 83-85
William P. Hood, Jr., Roslyn Berlin and Edward Wawrynek, Tiffany Silver Flatware 1845-1905, pp. 293-94.

cup 27: chips to enamel near coat of arms
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The Mackay Service was made for Nevada bonanza silver king John W. Mackay and his wife Marie-Louise Hungerford.  Using a half-ton of silver from the Mackay's Comstock lode, Tiffany devoted 200 men and two years to completing the order.  The finished service comprised about 1,250 pieces, including 918 pieces of flatware in Edward C. Moore's first "private pattern," patented in 1878.

The service was shipped to Paris in nine fitted mahogany chests, and was shown by Tiffany at the 1878 Paris Exposition.  Afterwards, it was used by the Mackays for parties at their residences in Paris in London, having been cold-shouldered by New York society.

Most of the pieces were in white silver, densely chased in an "Indian" pattern in the style of Charles Grosjean, but the coffee cups and saucers, coffee spoons, and napkin clips were done in gilt with multicolored champlevé enamel (see Hood et al p. 294 for the coffee spoons).  These were probably designed by Edward C. Moore, who definitely designed the enameled butterfly-form menu card holders added to the service in 1880 (see John Loring, Magnificent Tiffany Silver, p. 57).  The dense and bright enamel patterns may have been influenced by the Russian enamels that Tiffany was importing and retailing at this period.

These pieces appear in Tiffany's ledgers as "Coffee Cups & Saucers Enamelled"; the cost to manufacture one cup and saucer is listed as "109.90 less 10%", or $98.90.