This unusual bronze goblet was given as a gift to attendees of a special dinner honoring Andrew Carnegie held at The Engineer’s Club in New York City on December 9, 1907. Attended by influential figures of American industry and culture, including Thomas Edison and Mark Twain, the banquet celebrated both Carnegie’s significant contributions to the Club’s newly opened headquarters as well as his 70th birthday.
The gilt bronze goblet takes the form of the thistle, the national flower of Carnegie’s native Scotland; the goblet’s cup is formed by the flower head, characterized by scaly bracts, with spiky leaves wrapping up the narrow stem from the dish-shaped foot. Along the outer edge of the foot, an inscription reads: THE ENGINEER’S CLUB DECEMBER 9, 1907.
It is not known how many goblets were produced in total for the event; period sources indicate that approximately 300 guests attended the banquet.
Though this goblet bears a hallmark for Tiffany & Company, it is believed to have been designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany, who became the President of Tiffany & Company after the death of his father in 1902. The goblets were likely produced at the Tiffany Studios bronze foundry in Corona, Queens.
Examples of this goblet are in the permanent collections of The Driehaus Museum and Cooper-Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum (1985-76-1).
Height: 8 inches (20.3 cm)
Diameter: 4 ⅝ inches (11.8 cm)