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Vase

Louis Comfort Tiffany

Artwork Details

Vase
circa 1892-1896
Louis Comfort Tiffany
glass with multi-colored slag
4 15/16 x 6 5/16 x 6 3/4 in. (12.5 x 16 x 17 cm);4 15/16 x 6 5/16 x 6 3/4 in. (12.5 x 16 x 17 cm)
University purchase 1930, transferred to the Museum of Art, 1972/2.219
1972/2.219

Description

Subject Matter:

Henry and Lousine Havemeyer were active collectors of the hand-made, iridescent glass made by Louis Comfort Tiffany. Tiffany had been known for making leaded windows since the late 1870s, but only began to make blown-glass vessels in the early 1890s—not long after his work on the Havemeyer house in New York. Tiffany’s term for this opulent glasswork was Favrile (a term derived from the Old English work fabrile, meaning “handmade”); Tiffany obtained a patent for the richly colored and iridescent
Favrile glass in 1894.
Working with Tiffany to select outstanding pieces, the Havemeyers amassed an impressive collection of Tiffany’s Favrile glass; much of it was donated by the family to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Nearly all of the Tiffany glass in the University of Michigan’s collection was purchased at auction in 1930, along with the architectural fragments, by Emil Lorch, University of Michigan's Dean of the College of Architecture and Design.

Physical Description:

Multiple layser of translucent glass in brown, green, and tan creates a rich texture of glass that resembles tortoise shell. The vessel has a very simple profile.

Usage Rights:

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