.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
THE JEWEL OF THE NATURAL WORLD
The natural world provided a plethora of stimuli as Tiffany had an innate and keen desire to understand the basic premise or nucleus of an entity, whether that be a budding blossom or a fluttering insect. His curiosity for the natural world was similar to that of the nineteenth century Japanese artist Hokusai, who produced 15 volumes of wood block prints pertaining to landscapes, flora, fauna, everyday life and the supernatural in a series of influential sketches. The Manga, as these Japanese wood-block prints became known, served as inspiration for art and artists to come. At the end of the century and into the twentieth century, the appreciation of the natural world was never more paramount than in the Art Nouveau period in Europe and America.
Tiffany was undoubtedly influenced by Japanese art. The 1946 Parke-Bernet Galleries Inc. auction catalog The Extensive Collection of the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation, the sale of the contents of Tiffany’s Oyster Bay, Long Island estate Laurelton Hall, included two lots of Hokusai prints, lot 837 and 852, which comprised of seven prints depicting birds and flowers. Tiffany, like his contemporaries, saw the artistry behind the natural world and endeavored to capture it in all its splendor, even if the moment could be fleeting.
The much beloved motif of the Art Nouveau genre is the dragonfly, none better represented than in René Lalique’s most prized jewel, ‘Dragonfly Woman’ corsage ornament, from 1897-98 in the collection of the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, Lisbon, Portugal. This incredible jewel was presented at the Paris Universal Exhibition in 1900, where Art Nouveau continued its acclaim as a beautiful representation of art. The gold, enamel, chrysoprase, chalcedony, moonstone, and diamonds employed reinforced the notion of translucency and lightness in the creatures wings. The depiction of the winged beast with animal-like head and mouth ajar emanating a female bodice, is an interesting intersection of the natural world and classical mythology – a story of metamorphosis.
For Tiffany, who often used the dragonfly as an inspiration, this shade is rather unique among the Studios’ body of work. Unlike most other ‘Dragonfly’ shades in the Tiffany Studios production which appear rectilinear, this rare example of the dragonfly appears captured in mid-flight, their curved bodies fluttering around the four glass ‘ponds’. The shade ‘1552’ is not included in the 1906 nor the 1910 Price List, indicating it’s early conception and the relatively few to be known in existence. In fact, only two examples of this shade have appeared on the market previously, first in 1980 at Christie’s New York, Magnificent Tiffany Lamps, The Mihalak Collection, 22 March 1980, lot 30 (sold $68,200 with premium); This predominantly blue and green shade eventually sold again at Sotheby’s New York, Highly Important Tiffany Lamps from the Collection of John W. Mecom, Jr., Houston, Texas, 22 April 1995, lot 56 (sold $79,500 with premium). Another more transparent example was sold at Sotheby’s New York, The Estate of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr., Important Art Nouveau and Art Deco, 16 June 1989, lot 426 (sold $77,000 with premium).
This third example of the model to come to market is an exciting discovery. The intricate pattern, having to accommodate the large ‘ponds’ for the dragonflies to hone into, dictates an overall octagonal shape to compensate for the glass required. Each ‘pond’ with delicate bands surrounding, integrating the dragonfly heads and four pairs of eyes, the spanned wings bordering and crossing each other, help to create a sense of movement and liveliness. The curving bodies intertwined at the top-most rim compliment the movements and is unlike any other shade produced by the Studios. The beautiful jewel tones of glass used in this shade undoubtedly came to life with the imagination of the artistically inclined lover of nature.
The natural world provided a plethora of stimuli as Tiffany had an innate and keen desire to understand the basic premise or nucleus of an entity, whether that be a budding blossom or a fluttering insect. His curiosity for the natural world was similar to that of the nineteenth century Japanese artist Hokusai, who produced 15 volumes of wood block prints pertaining to landscapes, flora, fauna, everyday life and the supernatural in a series of influential sketches. The Manga, as these Japanese wood-block prints became known, served as inspiration for art and artists to come. At the end of the century and into the twentieth century, the appreciation of the natural world was never more paramount than in the Art Nouveau period in Europe and America.
Tiffany was undoubtedly influenced by Japanese art. The 1946 Parke-Bernet Galleries Inc. auction catalog The Extensive Collection of the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation, the sale of the contents of Tiffany’s Oyster Bay, Long Island estate Laurelton Hall, included two lots of Hokusai prints, lot 837 and 852, which comprised of seven prints depicting birds and flowers. Tiffany, like his contemporaries, saw the artistry behind the natural world and endeavored to capture it in all its splendor, even if the moment could be fleeting.
The much beloved motif of the Art Nouveau genre is the dragonfly, none better represented than in René Lalique’s most prized jewel, ‘Dragonfly Woman’ corsage ornament, from 1897-98 in the collection of the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, Lisbon, Portugal. This incredible jewel was presented at the Paris Universal Exhibition in 1900, where Art Nouveau continued its acclaim as a beautiful representation of art. The gold, enamel, chrysoprase, chalcedony, moonstone, and diamonds employed reinforced the notion of translucency and lightness in the creatures wings. The depiction of the winged beast with animal-like head and mouth ajar emanating a female bodice, is an interesting intersection of the natural world and classical mythology – a story of metamorphosis.
For Tiffany, who often used the dragonfly as an inspiration, this shade is rather unique among the Studios’ body of work. Unlike most other ‘Dragonfly’ shades in the Tiffany Studios production which appear rectilinear, this rare example of the dragonfly appears captured in mid-flight, their curved bodies fluttering around the four glass ‘ponds’. The shade ‘1552’ is not included in the 1906 nor the 1910 Price List, indicating it’s early conception and the relatively few to be known in existence. In fact, only two examples of this shade have appeared on the market previously, first in 1980 at Christie’s New York, Magnificent Tiffany Lamps, The Mihalak Collection, 22 March 1980, lot 30 (sold $68,200 with premium); This predominantly blue and green shade eventually sold again at Sotheby’s New York, Highly Important Tiffany Lamps from the Collection of John W. Mecom, Jr., Houston, Texas, 22 April 1995, lot 56 (sold $79,500 with premium). Another more transparent example was sold at Sotheby’s New York, The Estate of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr., Important Art Nouveau and Art Deco, 16 June 1989, lot 426 (sold $77,000 with premium).
This third example of the model to come to market is an exciting discovery. The intricate pattern, having to accommodate the large ‘ponds’ for the dragonflies to hone into, dictates an overall octagonal shape to compensate for the glass required. Each ‘pond’ with delicate bands surrounding, integrating the dragonfly heads and four pairs of eyes, the spanned wings bordering and crossing each other, help to create a sense of movement and liveliness. The curving bodies intertwined at the top-most rim compliment the movements and is unlike any other shade produced by the Studios. The beautiful jewel tones of glass used in this shade undoubtedly came to life with the imagination of the artistically inclined lover of nature.