Tiffany glass refers to the many types of art glass developed and produced from 1878 to 1932 at the Tiffany Studios in New York City, by Louis Comfort Tiffany and a team of other designers, including Clara Driscoll,[1][2] Agnes F. Northrop,[3] Frederick Wilson, and Alice Carmen Gouvy. They made stained glass windows, Tiffany lamps with glass shades, glass mosaics, vases and other blown glass items, and other decorative art for homes, churches, and businesses such as hotels. This was part of a larger movement of Art Nouveau glass.
In 1865, Tiffany traveled to Europe, and in London he visited the Victoria and Albert Museum, whose extensive collection of Roman glass and Syrian glass made a deep impression on him. He admired the coloration of medieval glass and was convinced that the quality of contemporary glass could be improved upon because the production of art glass in America during this time was not close to what Europeans were creating. In his own words, the "Rich tones are due in part to the use of pot metal full of impurities, and in part to the uneven thickness of the glass, but still more because the glass maker of that day abstained from the use of paint".[4]
Tiffany was an interior designer, and in 1878 his interest turned toward the creation of stained glass. He opened his own studio and glass foundry because he was unable to find the types of glass that he desired in interior decoration. His inventiveness both as a designer of windows and as a producer of the material with which to create them was to become renowned.[5] Tiffany wanted the glass itself to transmit texture and rich colors, and he developed a type of glass he called "Favrile".
Tiffany Studios
Tiffany was intrigued by glass production in medieval Europe, and was disappointed by the type of glass produced in the 19th century in The United States.[6] According to Rachel Bradshaw, "Tiffany came to realize that the nineteenth century windows lacked the brilliance and quality of this medieval glass. Instead, nineteenth century artisans placed more emphasis on naturalistic detail rather than on color, using enamels to create the effects of drapery, hair, facial features, and foliage."[7] Although the United States did not have many experts in the field of glass at the time, Tiffany started doing experiments with glass and color.[7] He was able to modernize some of the glassworks he has seen in textbooks about medieval glass, and those he had seen in Europe.
From there Tiffany started conducting more experiments and established a new era for what is known to be glasswork. An article by the Metropolitan Museum of Art said, "Of all of Tiffany's artistic endeavors, leaded-glass brought him the greatest recognition. Tiffany and his early rival, John La Farge, revolutionized the look of stained glass, which had remained essentially unchanged since medieval times when craftsmen utilized flat panes of white and colored glass with details painted with glass paints before firing and leading."[8]
Types
Opalescent glass
The term "opalescent glass" is commonly used to describe glass where more than one color is present, being fused during the manufacture, as against flashed glass in which two colors may be laminated, or silver stained glass where a solution of silver nitrate is superficially applied, turning red glass to orange and blue glass to green. Some opalescent glass was used by several stained glass studios in England from the 1860s and 1870s onwards, notably Heaton, Butler and Bayne. Its use became increasingly common. Opalescent glass is the basis for the range of glasses created by Tiffany.[16]
Opalescent glass comes in three main types. The first type is exemplified by blue-tinged semi-opaque or clear glass with milky opalescence in the center, seen in creations by Lalique, Sabino, and Jobling's.[17] This effect is achieved through slower cooling, causing crystallization.[17] The glass glows golden when backlit and a beautiful blue when front-lit.[17]
Locations and collections
See also
- Education (Chittenden Memorial Window)
- The Sunset Scene
- Tiffany Chapel
- Tiffany & Co.
External links
- Publications and ephemeral materials from Tiffany Studios, Tiffany Glass & Decorating Company, Tiffany and Company, and the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation – held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art
References
- Kate Taylor. Tiffany's Secret Is Over New York Sun, February 13, 2007, retrieved 2009-11-16^
- Jeffrey Kastner. Out of Tiffany's Shadow, a Woman of Light The New York Times, February 25, 2007, retrieved 2009-11-16^
- Nora McGreevy. Stunning Tiffany Stained Glass Debuts After 100 Years of Obscurity