TIFFANY STUDIOS | Carved Cameo Paperweight Vase

Christie's New York, June 12, 1997, lot 88
Louis C. Tiffany Garden Museum, Japan
Michaan’s Auctions, Alameda, California, Treasures of Louis C. Tiffany from the Garden Museum, Japan,  November 17, 2012, lot 49
Macklowe Gallery, New York
Acquired from the above by the present owner

Alastair Duncan, Louis C. Tiffany: The Garden Museum Collection, Woodbridge, Suffolk, 2004, p. 245 (for the present lot illustrated)
Martin Eidelberg, Tiffany Favrile Glass and the Quest of Beauty, New York, 2007, p. 54 (for related examples)

Overall very good condition. The glass with some scattered minor air bubble and particulate inclusions throughout, all inherent in the making and not at all visually detractive. The internal decoration depicting a complex, swirling network of autumnal leaves is exquisitely enhanced by the masterful carving to the exterior. The interior with some scattered red spotting, inherent in the sprayed application of the iridescent surface treatment and not visually detractive, and with some extremely light surface soiling. When viewed with remitted light, the vase presents with a warm and subdued palette of pale oranges, mauves and ambers; when viewed with reflected light the leaves display vibrant shades of apple green, ochre, burnt orange, and pale pink, which are brighter and more saturated when viewed firsthand compared to the catalogue illustration. The effect is further heightened by the subtle iridescence applied to the exterior. Formerly in the collection of the Louis C. Tiffany Garden Museum, Japan, this lot is accompanied by its custom, velvet-lined Garden Museum box. A highly complex design with exquisite decoration and carving. Please feel welcome to contact the department for additional images of this vase.
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.

Tiffany’s glasshouse frequently made vases with very similar, if not nearly identical, motifs and shapes.  Yet no two pieces of blown glass were exactly the same.  It was the nature of the craft that it was difficult to exactly replicate an object with a complex decoration.  More importantly, one of Tiffany’s major marketing claims was to impress upon the public that every piece was a unique work of art that was on a par with any painting or sculpture.  The exceptional piece offered here brilliantly substantiates that assertion. 

In basic appearance, it is similar to the reactive paperweight vase previously listed (lot 321) in that a leaf and vine decoration, also probably of reactive glass, was encased between two layers of glass.  That, however, is where the similarities end.  In this instance, the interior has a gold-orange iridescence.  Furthermore, the vase exhibits an inner glass layer that is not reactive and the outer layer is also somewhat thicker.  This latter feature permitted a glass cutter to create, once the object had cooled and annealed,  a cameo design that brings a superb three-dimensionality to each leaf and vine. 

This required exceptional delicacy on the part of the craftsman, who had to be careful not to go to deep and compromise the decoration, let alone shatter the vase during the process.  This was always a distinct possibility when carving Favrile glass, as it usually contained far less lead than glass used by other glasshouses.  Lead made the glass “softer” and better adapted to being cut, carved or engraved.  The vase survived, however, and is indicative of the incredible talents of the artisans employed by Louis C. Tiffany. 

—Paul Doros