France, Paris / c. 1907
Creamer
Creamer
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Creamer as silver (France, Paris · c. 1907).
WHY IT’S INTERESTING
This creamer is part of a tea and coffee service designed by Carlo Bugatti.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this silver as Gilt silver and ivory and credits Carlo Bugatti (Italian, 1856–1940).
The museum's collection notes: This tea and coffee service, salver, and table, together with some now missing cups, were all designed by Carlo Bugatti as an ensemble and presented at the 1902 exposition devoted to decorative arts in Turin, Italy. The set was probably acquired from Bugatti's 1907 exhibition at the Galerie Hébrard in Paris by a wealthy South African widow, Anna Blake, who was living there at the time. Some of the animal and insect motifs suggest mythical beasts or the fossils of prehistoric animals. When Mrs. Blake returned to Cape Town, she took these and other pieces designed by Bugatti with her, and they remained in South Africa throughout her lifetime.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtCreamerOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.