L.C. Tiffany Art Nouveau Glass Favrile Compote, Bowl

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L.C. Tiffany Art Nouveau Glass Favrile Compote, Bowl

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Sold Date: 12/05/2008
Channel: Online Auction
Source: eBay
Category: Glass

This is a stunningly beautiful L.C. Tiffany Favrile compote. It was made in the trademark Favrile style, and thus possesses an iridescent quality to the glass. Its main colors are gold, blue, and purple, but many other colors emerge as the glass is exposed to light. This bowl is in EXCELLENT condition, with minor point-of-contact wear on the bottom. It is signed on the bottom "1592 - 1499 K L.C. Tiffany Favrile". It measures 4 1/2" high x 5 1/2" wide (at the ruffled top). It was made between 1894 - 1932.

Description: Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933), was an American renaissance man. He was the son of Charles Lewis Tiffany, founder of Tiffany & Co., whose fortune allowed Louis to pursue his artistic passions. Louisâe(tm) talents extended into the realms of painting, ceramics, jewelry making, and metalwork. He is best known and most highly lauded, however, for his groundbreaking work in stained glass. After years of making a living as a painter Tiffany recognized his passion for glassmaking and opened his first glass studio in 1885 in Brooklyn, New York. Dissatisfied with the trend among glassmakers of eliminating all impurities from the glass they made, Tiffany began blowing his own glass so that he could leave mineral impurities in, creating an opalescent effect. Tiffanyâe(tm)s iridescent glass proved immensely popular and high profile stained glass window commissions came pouring in. In 1893 Tiffany opened a new factory in Queens, New York. It was that his trademark Favrile style (patented by Tiffany in 1894) was perfected. The name, derived from an antiquated French term meaning âeoehand madeâe, came to be closely associated with Tiffanyâe(tm)s renowned bowls, lamps, and other glass pieces, many of which possessed the trademark Favrile iridescence. To describe it in Tiffanyâe(tm)s own words,

âeoeFavrile glass is distinguished by brilliant or deeply toned colors, usually iridescent like the wings of certain American butterflies, the necks of pigeons and peacocks, the wing covers of various beetlesâe¦ 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.âe

Inspired by glassmaking techniques of ancient Rome and Syria, Tiffany created an aesthetic that redefined American art glass. Due to the high standard of craftsmanship in his factory and to the immense demand for Favrile pieces, Tiffanyâe(tm)s name became synonymous with top quality American glass of the early 20th century, as well as with fine American Art Nouveau. The Tiffany Company remained active until 1932. This particular piece, a radiant example of Favrile at its finest, is in exquisite condition. While the opalescent nature of the glass makes its color difficult to classify, the most pronounced tones fall in the realm of gold, accentuated by notes of blue, green, orange, and pink. Light and delicate, this compote is as perfect and vibrant as it was on the day it was signed âeoeL.C. Tiffanyâe.