Peter Marino’s Deep Affinity for Tiffany Silver Goes on View in New Exhibition and Book
Tiffany Silver: The Peter Marino Collection, is a tribute to the architecture and design icon’s unique collection
Architecture and design icon Peter Marino and Phaidon Press have released a book spotlighting his extensive, lovingly assembled Tiffany silver. The glossy volume, titled Tiffany Silver: The Peter Marino Collection, is a personal tribute to his unique collection. Marino has been collecting Tiffany silver for five decades with an eye for pieces that might not at first pop to all collectors, as shown in the 136-page hardback edition.
A concurrent exhibition at the Peter Marino Art Foundation in Southampton, which the book ties in with, has more than 100 Tiffany mixed-metal works on view through October 3. It’s the opportunity to see the surfaces in all three of their hammered silver dimensions that is extraordinary here. Using accents of gold, copper, and other metals, the nature-motif and frequently Japonesque works feature flowers, butterflies, dragonflies and fish. On August 15, in a special event with the Peter Marino Book Club, the author himself will discuss and sign copies at Foundation.
“I have always looked twice at the ‘black sheep’ of the arts—objects that are of a style or an aesthetic that are out of favor due to the vagaries of fashion,” wrote Marino, later adding, “The Tiffany silver in my collection reflects what I believe all great art should. First, one should discover something new every time one looks at it. Second, great truth should be expressed there—and, yes, nature is recalled in these pieces in all of its myriad glories. Thirdly, the craftsmanship is of the very highest level that exists.”
Marino first began collecting Tiffany silver under the guidance of specialist and curator Sam Wagstaff, whose eye led him to the then-under-appreciated Aesthetic Movement. Some of Marino’s prime acquisitions include pitchers, candelabra, trophies, platters, sugar bowls and serving pieces covered with dragonflies, butterflies, fish, grasses, flowers and mixed-metal ornament.
