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Biography
Edward Chandler Moore (August 30, 1827 - August 2, 1891) was a noted American silversmith, art collector, and benefactor of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Moore was born in New York City, where his father, John Chandler Moore, was a noted silversmith, and learned his craft in his father's shop. From 1848-1851 he was a partner in the business, and when his father retired, Moore inherited the business, which at that time was manufacturing silverware solely for Tiffany & Co. In 1868 the firm was acquired by Tiffany and became one of its departments. For many years Moore was in charge of designing and manufacturing silverware at Tiffany, where he made many improvements in manufacturing processes, added flatware to Tiffany's silver catalog in 1869, and became an acknowledged artist for his metalwork. He won a gold medal at the Exposition Universelle in 1867 for his exhibit of silverware, another medal at the Centennial Exposition in 1876, and a special gold medal in 1878 in Paris. In 1889 he was awarded the Legion of Honor. He died in his summer house at Hastings-on-Hudson, New York.
Moore's collection contains somewhere between 1,600 and 1,700 pieces. He first began to study objects to help inform his designs, and subsequently began to collect them. At one time he devoted his attention to Japanese and Chinese porcelains, and later old Persian wares. Over time he became interested in old glass and lusterware porcelains which now form an especially rich part of the collection. His collection includes antique Roman, Cyprian, Etruscan, Merovingian, Venetian, Persian, Arab, German, and Spanish glass; Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Hispano-Moresque, Rhodian, Damascus, and Persian ceramics; Persian, Turkish, and Indian metalwork, including Saracenic metal work of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, as well as Chinese and Japanese bronzes, swords and sword-guards; Japanese inro, netsuke, lacquer ware, and wood and ivory carvings; and Oriental jewelry, Persian lacquer, antique French and Venetian inlaid straw work, and a fine collection of Tanagra figurines.