Wilhelm Hunt Diederich

American, born Hungary 1884–1953

Salamander King Fire Screen, ca. 1924–1930

Wrought iron, sheet iron, woven wire mesh and rivets

Purchase: Gift of Estelle Reninger, 2005. (2005.3.1)

 

Case 1: Material Explorations

Tiffany Studios
American, 1902–1932

Lent by an anonymous collector

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Right to left:

Trumpet vase, ca. 1910

Blue Favrile glass

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Goblet and Short-stemmed water goblet in “Prince” pattern, ca. 1910

Gold Favrile glass

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saucer in “Prince” pattern,

1910

Gold Favrile glass

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two sherbet dishes in “Prince” pattern, ca. 1910

Gold Favrile glass

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three cordial glasses in “Prince” pattern, ca. 1910

Gold Favrile glass

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two champagne glasses in “Manhattan” pattern, ca. 1910

Gold Favrile glass

 

 

 

 

 

Finger bowl and Saucer in “Prince” pattern, c. 1910

Gold Favrile glass

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two long-stemmed wine glasses in “Prince” pattern, ca. 1910

Gold Favrile glass

 

 

 

 

 

Short-stemmed water goblet and Goblet in “Prince” pattern,

1910

Gold Favrile glass

 

 

 

 

Finger bowl and Saucer in “Prince” pattern, ca. 1910

Gold Favrile glass

 

 

 

 

 

 

Floriform Vase with Metal Stem, ca. 1900–1902

Hand-blown Favrile glass and patinated bronze

 

Case 2: Tiffany Glass

Louis Comfort Tiffany’s experiments in glassblowing led to the production of his distinctive “Favrile glass,” named after the Old English word fabrile, meaning handwrought. At his Tiffany Studios in Corona, Queens, artisans worked with opalescent glass, infusing their objects with color and textural effects during the process. This was atypical for the time, when it was more common to work with consistent and translucent pot glass, which might be painted later for effect. Favrile glass is distinguished by its delicacy and endless variety as well as its potential to approximate the iridescence of ancient glass.

Right:

 

 

 

 

 

Tiffany Studios

New York, NY, 1902–1938

Miniature Favrile Vase with Leaves, ca. 1910

Favrile glass

Gift of Remo and Verna Canova, 1997. (1997.3.4)

 

Wine Goblet, ca. 1900

Favrile glass

Gift of Remo and Verna Canova, 1997. (1997.3.8)

 

Louis Comfort Tiffany

American, 1848–1933

Letter Seal

Glass

Gift of the Reverend and Mrs. Van S.

Merle-Smith, Jr., 1995. (1995.16.2)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tiffany & Company

New York, NY, 1837 to present

Condiment Jar, ca. 1907–1910

Favrile glass and sterling silver

Purchase: Gift of Edith M. Merkle in Memory of Dr. Ralph Merkle, 1994. (1994.8)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Louis Comfort Tiffany

American, 1848–1933

Cypriote Vase, ca. 1896

Favrile glass

Gift from the Lloyd and Barbara Macklowe Tiffany Glass Collection. (2019.24)

This vase was made soon after Tiffany developed a new style of glass he called Cypriote, which imitated the pitted, iridescent surface of ancient glass excavated in Cyprus. To achieve a similar effect, Tiffany’s glassblowers applied potassium nitrate to their glass: when heated, it created bubbles that dimpled the surface of the finished vessel. After the glass blowing was complete, they would expose the vase to metallic salt fumes that oxidized into an iridescent sheen. Tiffany welcomed irregularities like the odd shape of this vase as part of the artistic process.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tiffany Studios

New York, NY, 1902–1938

Bottle (Phoenician Style), early 1900s

Iridescent glass

Gift of the Reverend and Mrs. Van S. Merle‑Smith Jr., 1978. (1978.34.35)

 

Center:

Tiffany Studios

New York, NY, 1902–1938

Emarel Freshel, designer

American, 1867–1949

Seven-Light Lily Lamp, ca. 1902

Favrile glass and patinated bronze base

Gift of Remo and Verna Canova, and of Christine I. Oaklander in honor of her mentor Mary Alice Mackay; by exchange, 2016. (2016.30.)

Inspired by nature, Tiffany’s lily lamp is a useful object transformed into a thing of beauty. Though its form is a hybrid of water lily pads at the base with long-stemmed, nodding field lilies above, its naturalism and elegance is convincing. Each handblown favrile glass shade is as unique as an organic bloom. While the lily lamp remained in production into the 1920s, this lamp’s thinner stems and slightly shorter height identify it as early. It was the advent of electricity, in only two percent of American homes at the time, that allowed for the production of a working lamp in such a delicate form.

 

Left:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Favrile Glass Footed Bulbous Vase, ca. 1905

Favrile glass

Gift of Remo and Verna Canova, 1997. (1997.3.13)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Favrile Glass Plate, ca. 1905

Favrile glass

Gift of Remo and Verna Canova, 1997. (1997.3.11)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cream Pitcher, ca. 1910

Favrile glass

Gift of Remo and Verna Canova, 1997. (1997.3.3)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wine Glass, ca. 1900

Favrile glass

Gift of Remo and Verna Canova, 1997. (1997.3.14)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tiffany Studios

New York, NY, 1902–1938

Goblet, 1907

Gilding on bronze

Purchase: Gift of Edith M. Merkle in Memory of Dr. Ralph Merkle, 1993. (1993.24)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wharton Esherick 

American, 1887‑1970

Wagon Wheel Chair, 1932

Hickory and leather

Purchase: Gift of Edith M. Merkle in memory of Dr. Ralph Merkle, 1997. (1997.18)

Case 3: The Arts and Crafts Movement

From the late 1800s through the 1920s, artists reacted to industrialization with renewed interest in the handmade. Spreading from Britain to America, the Arts and Crafts movement focused on beautiful and simple design for the home. Their respect for natural forms and materials parallels the harmonious design of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Little Library, on display at left.

Wallpaper: reproduction of The Stag, an 1896 design by C. F. A. Voysey (British, 1857–1941)

Right to left:

Liberty & Co.

Birmingham, England, 1874–present

Round Box, 1899

Silver with enamel decoration

Purchase: The Gift of John and Fannie Saeger, 2005. (2005.28 a, b)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Frederick Carder, designer

American, born England, 1863–1963

Steuben Glass Works, manufacturer

Corning, NY, 1903–2011

Stemmed Vase, ca. 1905

Blue Aurene iridescent glass

Gift of Remo and Verna Canova, 2004. (2004.1.1)

 

 

 

 

Charles Robert Ashbee, designer

British, 1863–1942

Shreve, Crump & Low Co., manufacturer

Boston, MA, 1869–present

Two Handled Dish, ca. 1902–1914

Sterling silver with cabochon-jade insets

Purchase: Gift of Edith M. Merkle in Memory of Dr. Ralph Merkle, 1993. (1993.2)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clara Barck Welles, designer

American, 1868–1965

Kalo Shop

Chicago, IL, 1900–1970

Pitcher, ca. 1905–1914

Silver

Purchase: Gift of Edith M. Merkle in Memory of Dr. Ralph Merkle, 1992. (1992.24)

 

 

 

 

 

Hugh Mackie Gordon Garden, designer 

Canadian, 1873–1961  

American Terra Cotta & Ceramic Co., manufacturer  

Crystal Lake, IL, 1881–present 

Teco Pottery Jardinere, 1904–1920 

Terracotta with green matte glaze 

Gift of David A. Hanks, 1976. (1976.33) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

William De Morgan

British, 1839–1917

Charger, ca. 1880s

Earthenware with luster decoration

Purchase: The Gift of John and Fannie Saeger, 2004. (2004.17)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ott & Brewer

Trenton, New Jersey, 1871–1893

Bowl, ca. 1882–1892

Compote, ca. 1880s

Porcelain

Gift of Thomas C. Folk, 2001. (2001.15.1, 2)

 

Edith Kredell

American, active early 1900s

Salad Bowl, 1911

Plate, 1911

Painted porcelain

Gift of Peggy Rice in Memory of Anna Wood Prutzman, 1988. (1989.2.1, 2)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chikayoshi Gokyoro  

Japanese, active ca. 1865–1890        

Summer, 1865

Woodblock print mounted on silk brocade, with silk brocade with metal-wrapped thread

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Winter, 1865

Woodblock print mounted on silk brocade with embroidery in silk and metal-wrapped thread, with silk brocade with metal-wrapped thread

Publisher: Yamashiroya Jinbei, Tokyo, Japan

Gift of Kate Fowler Merle‑Smith, 1976.

(1976.20.138–139)

This pair of woodblock prints are presented as hanging scrolls, mounted on sumptuous silk brocade usually reserved for painted works. Scrolls like these would be displayed in an alcove in a traditional Japanese house and often switched out from season to season.

Beginning in the mid-nineteenth century, Japanese woodblock prints were enthusiastically collected in the West. Like other forms of Japanese art, they influenced American artists of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, including architect Frank Lloyd Wright, who designed the 1912-15 library to your right. The Merle-Smith family likely acquired these scrolls on a trip to Asia in the early twentieth century.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Utagawa Kunimaru

Japanese, 1793–1829

The Origin of the Maru-Ebiya House, 1820s

Woodblock print mounted on silk brocade, with silk brocade with metal-wrapped thread

Gift of Kate Fowler Merle‑Smith, 1976. (1976.20.133)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kikugawa Eizan

Japanese, 1787–1867

Komurasaki and Gompachi, ca. 1821

Woodblock print mounted on silk brocade, with silk brocade with metal-wrapped thread

Gift of Kate Fowler Merle‑Smith, 1976. (1976.20.128)