Tiffany Studios

Louis Comfort Tiffany is a gentleman whose name is universally associated with exceptional glass designs. His company, Tiffany Studios, which included a range of distinguished designers, in many ways defined the Art Nouveau era of glassmaking.

An interior designer by trade, Tiffany was inspired following a visit to the Victoria and Albert Museum's ancient glassware collections in 1865. He was fascinated with the luminous colors and effects achieved in glassware from antiquity and, unable to find contemporary producers who could do the same, Tiffany created his own glassmaking studio. Launched in 1885, Tiffany' studio would rapidly become one of the most acclaimed glassmaking companies of its day.

Tiffany became renowned for his abilities to render a remarkable range of colors and textures in his pieces. His trademarked "Favrile" style, for example, dazzled with luxurious luminescence and luscious colors and achieved a luster quite similar to ancient glass predecessors. He also experimented with stained glass, extending the bold contours inherent in Art Nouveau and Aesthetic artistic production into his relatively organic motifs.

Quick Facts

• Tiffany glasswork is featured in prestigious locations across the country, from Saint Peter's Chapel in Vallejo, California, to the New York Historical Society building on West 77th Street
• One of Tiffany's chief designers was Clara Driscoll, who encouraged the move toward more organic patterns, such as the iconic "Dragonfly" motif, during her tenure
• The first Tiffany lamps, today one of the company's most sought-after pieces, debuted at the 1893 World Columbian Exposition in Chicago