Punch Bowl

This large punch bowl was presented by employees of the Anheuser-Busch Brewery in St. Louis to Lily Anheuser Busch and Adolphus Busch on their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. As this was also the silver anniversary of the firm, the event was particularly meaningful to the employees. The concept for the bowl was developed by Edward C. Moore, chief designer at Tiffany and Company from 1868 to 1891, and is characteristic of his work. Moore typically chose ornamental motifs specific to the occasion of the presentation; in this case he used beer kegs draped with hop vines and barley to decorate the bowl.

The custom of presenting silver objects to commemorate events or to recognize services and accomplishments is as old as silversmithing itself. During the nineteenth century, presentation silver was most often the gift of a group to an individual, intended as a showy demonstration of respect and gratitude. The punch bowl, a traditional form for presentation silver in earlier centuries, continued to be a favorite, symbolizing a successful lifestyle and the achievement of wealth and power.