Handbook language :
A Set of Eighteen Silver Gilt Plates Emblazoned with the Vanderbilt Arms and bearing the hallmarks for Tiffany & Co., New York.

The plates are of circular form with fluted and gadrooned rims interrupted by leaves, the borders engraved with arms on a foliate mantle, marked on the backs and numbered ‘14004-4529' (11 plates), ‘14004-4557' (3 plates), ‘14004-2212' (3 plates), and ‘14004-7090' (1 plate).

The Vanderbilt family was at the forefront of American society, and as such entertained in luxurious fashion. They dominated what has come to be known as the 'Gilded Age', a period when Vanderbilt men were the merchant princes of America through prominence in business and as leading patrons of the arts.

As one of America's wealthiest and most prominent families at the time, the Vanderbilts frequented Tiffany's with enthusiasm. Not only jewellery and decorative objects were acquired but also frequently special commissions were ordered. Both William K. Vanderbilt and Cornelius Vanderbilt having bespoke patterns for Tiffany flatware produced for them for their New York homes.

These specially commissioned plates are emblazoned with the Vanderbilt family crest, the acorn and oak leaf heraldry device, which was designed by Mrs. Cornelius II (Alice Claypoole Gwynne Vanderbilt) to counteract the nouveaux riche sentiment the Vanderbilts initially received from more established New York families. The acorn and oak leaf motif, symbolising the family's strength and endurance, appears throughout the Vanderbilt family properties, represented on everything from wall panelling to decorative and even functional items.

305 Troy oz