Tiffany Audubon

 I came across a large set of Tiffany Audubon china this past weekend in a high end thrift shop (it also came with a hefty price tag).  It is lovely. But I knew nothing about it so I thought I'd check into it.  You may recall that Tiffany also made a silverware pattern called Audubon.   The silver flatware was first introduced on August 3, 1956, under the name Plantation. The name was changed to Audubon on October 16, 1956.

Per William P. Hood Jr. in his superb book, 'Tiffany Silver Flatware 1845-1905 - When Dining Was an Art', the author writes: "Contrary to what commonly has been assumed, and even written, the design of this pattern - the modern Audubon - had nothing to do with the bird paintings of the great American naturalist, John James Audubon (1785-1851). It was, rather, derived from Oriental bird paintings and was the first American flatware pattern to incorporate Oriental-inspired design elements. It may have been the first worldwide to have multiple motifs."

The china was introduced much later, in 1990 and was discontinued in 2009.

 Lovely, isn't it?