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Gene Moore

Step right up! Rago/Wright offers Gene Moore Tiffany circus figures, Feb. 9

Sheila Gibson Stoodley
Sheila Gibson Stoodley
Left, Gene Moore for Tiffany & Co., Ferris Wheel; Right, Gene Moore for Tiffany & Co., Carousel; both individually estimated at $30,000-$50,000
Left, Gene Moore for Tiffany & Co., Ferris Wheel; Right, Gene Moore for Tiffany & Co., Carousel; both individually estimated at $30,000-$50,000. Images courtesy of Rago/Wright and LiveAuctioneers

LAMBERTVILLE, N.J. – Rago/Wright will offer a remarkable collection of circus figures designed by Gene Moore for Tiffany & Co., as part of their Jewels XOXO sale on February 9. Rarely presented in such quantity, these 60-plus original sterling and enamel figures were collected by Hollywood and Broadway producer Robert Boyett, and are sure to enchant those who collect Tiffany designs, fine miniatures, objects de vertu, and items with a circus theme. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

Renowned the world over as a boundary-pushing window designer for Tiffany & Co., Gene Moore was a master of fantastical world-building. From the mid-1950s to the late 1990s, Moore crafted wildly enchanting scenes for Tiffany’s Fifth Avenue flagship, even incorporating the contemporary art of Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns and Andy Warhol. In the 1980s, he branched out into designing a new sort of spectacle drawn from historic Americana: a circus in miniature, rendered in sterling silver and vibrantly colored enamel. Moore let his imagination soar and Tiffany & Co. brought his vision to life, from daring acrobats and dinosaurs outfitted in saddles to a gaggle of clowns and lions, tigers and bears – and much more.

Gene Moore for Tiffany & Co., Circus Figures, est. $6,000-$8,000. Image courtesy of Rago/Wright and LiveAuctioneers
Gene Moore for Tiffany & Co., Circus Figures, est. $6,000-$8,000. Image courtesy of Rago/Wright and LiveAuctioneers

Divided into 12 lots, this group of more than 60 circus figures arrive from the collection of producer Robert Boyett, who worked between Hollywood and Broadway on sitcoms including Happy Days and Family Matters and theatrical productions To Kill a Mockingbird, Spamalot, and Dear Evan Hansen. As a predecessor of uniquely American entertainment, the circus and its mythos continues to fascinate today — it is no surprise that Boyett was drawn to Moore’s exquisite homage.

Gene Moore for Tiffany & Co., Jack in the Box, est. $1,000-$1,500. Image courtesy of Rago/Wright and LiveAuctioneers
Gene Moore for Tiffany & Co., Jack in the Box, est. $1,000-$1,500. Image courtesy of Rago/Wright and LiveAuctioneers

As jewelry historian Levi Higgs writes in a specially commissioned essay, “Even when the world may be on pause in some regards, this set of silver Tiffany & Co. objects will ensure the curtain always rises on the greatest show on earth.”

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Gene Moore