Summer 2017

Summer 112 www.afamag.com | w ww.incollect.com construction of these can also be employed in the making of small art objects, and these will be within the reach of many.” 5 Tiffany’s firm was happy to oblige the public’s desire for more modestly scaled mosaics, creating artistic luxury goods such as mosaic tea stands, flower containers, desk accessories (Fig. 10), mantel clocks, and leaded glass lampshades with glass mosaic inset into bronze bases. They also made a small number of one-of-a-kind decorative mosaic panels. Because glass colors are resistant to the fading effects of the sun, it is possible that these “glass paintings” were made for bright, sunlit rooms where painted or paper decorations wouldn’t hold up (Fig. 11). In reality, most of these smaller items were still out of reach of the average American, and the company was keen to distinguish its products from the mass-produced goods permeating a rapidly expanding consumer landscape. Targeting the luxury market, many of these mosaic fancy goods were available at large department stores such as Marshall Field & Company, as well as Tiffany’s luxurious showrooms in New York City. 6 During the more than thirty years of his mosaic production, Louis C. Tiffany approached the technique with the same creativity that characterized his work in leaded and blown glass. His firm moved easily between markedly different subject matter and mosaic styles, while simultaneously exploring and exploiting the artistic possibilities of colored glass. Tiffany’s innovations in glass established a bold new aesthetic for mosaics and contributed a uniquely American character to the centuries-old art form. This Fig. 10 : “Poppy” inkstand, about 1901; Pen wiper, about 1902–1906; and “Swirl” pen tray, about 1900–1905. Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company or Tiffany Studios, designs attributed to Clara Wolcott Driscoll (American, 1861–1944). Glass mosaic, bronze, pressed glass, horsehair. H. 2.9, Diam. 4.1 in.; H. 2.2, Diam. 2.7 in.; and H .6, W. 7.9, D. 3.03 in. The Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, New York (2014.4.79, purchased in part with funds from the F. M. Kirby Foundation); (2015.4.8); and (2016.4.6). Image: The Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, New York.