Tiffany Studios

James D. Julia, Inc., Fairfield, Maine, June 17, 2006, lot 612

Louis Tiffany introduced a line of enamelware at the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle, where they were awarded a Grand Prix and met with international acclaim. Featuring newly developed enamels, some iridescent and others translucent that allowed the shimmering body to glisten through, and naturalistic designs in repoussé, these objects were unlike anything the world had ever seen. The company continued to create extraordinary enameled objects until 1907, when the department was acquired by Tiffany & Company.

Arthur Douglas Nash and his brother Leslie attempted to revive the technique in the mid-1920s. The company’s name had been changed to the Louis C. Tiffany Furnaces, the Nashes were now in charge of the business as Louis Tiffany was no longer actively involved with the firm’s operations, and tastes had changed dramatically since the end of World War I. The Nashes could not replicate the earlier enamel work, as the skilled artisans that Tiffany had employed were either dead or working elsewhere. What they attempted was a more contemporary appearance that would serve as an enhancement to their glass pieces. Seen primarily on covers for Favrile powder boxes, these enameled works were as colorful as their predecessors but differed noticeably in the refinement of design and technique.

- PD