Vase, Gold Tone Iridescence With Peacock Eyes

Artist Louis Comfort Tiffany (American, 1848–1933)

Dateca. 1894

MediumGlass

DimensionsHeight: 5 1/4 inches (13.3 cm)

ClassificationsDecorative Arts

Credit LineEdythe de Lorenzi Collection Bequest of Otto de Lorenzi

Terms

Decorative Arts
Glassware
Vessels - Vases
Glass
Peacocks
Nature

Object number64.0838

Label CopyBRIEF DESCRIPTION This is a Tiffany vase made of gold toned iridescent glass. It is decorated with swirling patterns reminiscent of the eyes of peacock feathers. 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, like most Tiffany vases, was made by blowing the glass on a blowpipe. The iridescence on this vase is achieved by introducing metallic substances into the glass batch or by spraying the surface of the vessel with oxides like stannous chloride or lead chloride and then reheating it in a reduced atmosphere. Ancient glass often has an iridescent appearance caused by the effects of weathering. WHY DOES IT LOOK LIKE THIS? Notice how the swirling decorative forms of the vase are reminiscent of peacock feathers. The peacock feather was a motif that intrigued Tiffany and other artists of the period. Tiffany’s glass captures a stylized version of the bird’s iridescent plumes and their captivating eyes.

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