Tiffany Studios

Tiffany Studios, ca. 1897-1938
Lester Dutt & Associates, Washington, D.C., March 14-19, 1938 
Mrs. Charles Burton, Baltimore, MD
Galen Wickersham, Birmingham, MI
Randy Beach, Florida

Overall in very good condition. The window is structurally stable, and all of the original stones appear to be intact and undisturbed. The window does not appear to have been cleaned in many years. There is scattered surface soiling to the exterior, most notably to the natural recessed contours of the stones and along the perimeter edges of the lead lines. There are small surface chips and flecks to a very small number of stones, and some occasional internal stress fractures to some of the stones (all of which appear tight and stable). There are some occasional small and minor losses to the leading at some of the peripheral borders around the stones. There are some tight hairline cracks to the thin pale green opalescent glass panels comprising the double circular central band, and one small surface fleck (1/4 inch in diameter) to one of these panels. The reverse side of the window is selectively plated with leaded glass to enhance its visual effect. The central region of the window is reverse-plated with circular and tear-shaped amber and white opalescent glass panels, and the perimeter borders are reverse-plated with rectangular translucent green glass panels (which impart a subtle green tint to the stones when illuminated). There are cracks to three of the green glass panels (located in the upper left corner and left side). There are small losses to one green glass panel (located at the bottom left corner, approximately 3 ½ x 1 ½ inches) and one small triangular-shaped loss to one green panel on the upper left side (1 ¼ x 1 ¼ inch). Due to the density of the stones, none of these minor losses are apparent when viewing the window illuminated from the front. The painted wood frame appears to be original, and shows considerable surface wear consistent with age. The reverse side of the wood frame has been sensitively reinforced with metal braces at each corner, and a gray composite has been sensitively applied in between the interior perimeter framing and the window. Sotheby's has designed a custom light box for the window, which will be provided to the successful buyer if desired. A spectacular rare specimen of Tiffany's early experimental and artistic work. The window is very impressive and dramatic when seen in person, and the surfaces are incredibly tactile and luminescent. The subtle earth-toned colors of the stones show great variation, and display much greater nuances than seen in the catalogue illustration (which is slightly too saturated and red).
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

In his will, Louis C. Tiffany decreed that Tiffany Studios remain in operation until Joseph Briggs, whom he had appointed the firm's director following his effective retirement in 1920, was too infirm to administer it.  After Briggs' death on March 28, 1937, the firm was dissolved.  Mr. Herman Cohen, a general liquidator from Baltimore, was appointed the public receiver responsible for the disposal of the business' surviving assets, which included the residual inventory at 46 West 23^rd Street in Manhattan, and further stock from the firm's showrooms at 347-355 Madison Avenue.  These were offered both privately and at auction, culminating in the 1938 public sale, which included some 1,100 items, conducted by Lester Dutt & Associates in Washington, D.C.

This pebble window was amongst the works purchased at the 1938 auction by Mrs. Charles Burton, whose family owned a 600-acre farm north of Baltimore.  Also acquired by her was the mosaic fountain later installed in the Charles Engelhard Court in the American Wing at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, a Zinnia table lamp with mosaic base in the collection of the Louis C. Tiffany Garden Museum in Japan, and a life-size bronze peacock, its fan-shaped plumage adorned with iridescent favrile glass eyes.  All of these masterworks had presumably served Tiffany Studios through the years as prototypes which were neither sold nor duplicated, their function to show potential clients the infinite aesthetic reach of its inter-disciplinary skills.  Following Mrs. Burton's death in 1975, some of these works were bequeathed to her brother, Wallace Groves of Florida, and others sold to the dealer Lillian Nassau.  The pebble window, which with everything else had been stored in a barn on the farm, was acquired directly from the family by a Michigan collector.   

An article by the art critic Cecilia Waern published in The Studio in 1897 included an illustration of the pebble window, which establishes the time line in which pebbles were introduced by the firm into its decorative repertoire, which soon included panels which mixed pebbles with chunky jewelled glass in eye-catching geometric compositions, editions of pebbled lamp shades housed on bases accented with matching pebbles, and various liturgical works of art.  The firm's surviving records do not identify the staff member credited with the innovation, but it was in likelihood Joseph Briggs, whose proficiency in various disciplines, most notably mosaics and wood, served to broaden the firm's existing product range.  In the 1897 article, Waern made reference to the unspoken yet palpable sense of excitement that permeated such experimentation in the Tiffany workshops during her visit: "It is eclectic, of course, this Tiffany style, like everything else here.  America is still in the stage of assimilation.  Tiffany's main sources of inspiration have been the Oriental and transitional styles that have something colouristic in their very treatment of lines and masses.  He knows them well and uses them freely.  But Mr. Tiffany does not belong to the great American school of tracing-paper that claims so many architects for its own.  In the true eclectic spirit, old objects are without hesitation incorporated into the scheme of decoration.  Mr. Tiffany belongs to the type of artist that turns everything to decorative account."

The review two years later by Horace Townsend of Tiffany's exhibit at the Grafton Galleries, London, underscored the novel aesthetic appeal that pebbles held when viewed by transmitted light:  "Anything that is beautiful in itself Mr. Tiffany presses into service as decoration. Translucent pebbles in some cases sawn into slabs, in others used as they come to us wave-worn from the sea-beach, take the place of glass, in some instances with an excellent effect."  ("American and French Applied Art at the Grafton Galleries," International Studio, vol. 8, 1899, p. 43.)

A cursory view of the pebble window fails to reveal the labor-intensity and astonishing attention to detail required in its creation.  Scores of pebbles had to be gathered by hand at water's edge, painstakingly graded and juxtaposed by size, texture, and internal luminescence to capture the composition's interplay of carefully nuanced hues.  The window's central medallion is comprised of a series of alternating oblong and circular pebble clusters linked by an interlacing line executed in broad H-frame leading that extends beyond it to unite the central design with the scrolled elements within its outer border.  To add color density and to further harmonize its intended visual impact, the window is selectively reverse-plated with panels of striated amber-white and green glass.