Vase, Varicolored, Internal Lustre, Polished Outside

Artist Louis Comfort Tiffany (American, 1848–1933)

Dateca. 1921

MediumGlass

DimensionsHeight: 5 3/4 inches (14.6 cm)

ClassificationsDecorative Arts

Credit LineGift of Louis Comfort Tiffany through the courtesy of A. Douglas Nash

Terms

Decorative Arts
Glassware
Vessels - Vases
Glass
American

Object number57.101

Label CopyBRIEF DESCRIPTION
This is a Tiffany vase or jar made of multiple colors of translucent glass.

WHERE WAS IT MADE?
Tiffany glass was made at the Tiffany Glass Furnaces in Corona, located in Queens, New York.

WHO WAS THE ARTIST?
Louis Comfort Tiffany was the eldest son of Charles L. Tiffany, founder of Tiffany & Company, the New York jeweler. Tiffany was trained as a painter, studying with both George Inness and Samuel Coleman in New York and Leon Bailly in Paris. He eventually turned his attention to decorative arts and began experimenting with glass-making techniques in 1875. After success with stained glass windows and mosaics, Tiffany established the Tiffany Glass Company in 1885 and began devoting production to one-of-a-kind blown glass art objects. He soon became one of America’s most prolific designers, providing furniture, wallcoverings, textiles, jewelry and glass to some of society’s most important citizens.

HOW WAS IT MADE?
This vase is decorated using a metallic luster that has been applied to the inside. Luster is a form of staining. This shiny metallic effect is achieved by covering the surface of a vessel with metallic oxides that have been dissolved in acid and mixed with an oily medium. The vessel is then fired in a kiln at a temperature around 1150 degrees Fahrenheit, depositing a film upon the surface that, when cleaned becomes shiny. The outside of this vase has been polished, giving it an even surface. Polishing is achieved by reintroducing objects into the furnace or by smoothing them against revolving wheels.

Collections