Smith and Wesson .38 Caliber Safety Third Model Double-Action Revolver, serial no. 83097, with Case

Smith & Wesson|Tiffany & Co.

1892–93 · Steel, silver, enamel, nickel, wood, leather, copper alloy, gold · Arms and Armor

This is one of nine revolvers custom-decorated by Tiffany & Co. for display at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. Exhibited as an example of Tiffany's most innovative designs and techniques, it is singular in having a grip sheathed in embossed, chased, etched, and enameled sterling silver. The enamel work on the grip, which is distinguished by subtle, sophisticated tonal gradations, is among the finest ever produced by the firm. Three years earlier, the American commissioners at the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1889 had noted the novelty of the "artistic blending of colors in the articles of enameled silver" shown by Tiffany's. No other Tiffany-decorated revolvers in this technique are known.

Artist

Smith & Wesson|Tiffany & Co.

Date

1892–93

Medium

Steel, silver, enamel, nickel, wood, leather, copper alloy, gold

Culture

American, Springfield, Massachusetts and New York

Department

Arms and Armor

Credit line

Purchase, Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Bequest, 2013