Berry Bowl
1885–95
Medium
Silver, parcel-gilt silver, and copper
Dimensions
20.2 × 35.7 × 32.2 cm (8 × 14 1/16 × 12 11/16 in.)
Classification
bowl
Department
Arts of the Americas
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
213882
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
As one of many new manufacturers competing in a vast marketplace, George W. Shiebler began producing silver in the early 1870s. Although Shiebler’s firm was better known for its decorative flatware and silver jewelry, this bowl showcases the firm’s inventive design and dexterous handling of hollowware, which was made in more limited production. The intricate handle is formed of entwined branches and leaves, plums, and copper cherries, with three applied insects—a fly, a beetle, and a spider—furt...