Mosaic Column

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Object Name: 
Mosaic Column
Accession Number: 
2018.4.11
Dimensions: 
Overall H: 339.1 cm, W: 61.6 cm, D: 58.4 cm
Location: 
On Display
Date: 
about 1905
Credit Line: 
Purchased in part with funds from the Arthur Rubloff Residuary Trust; the Ennion Society; the Clara S. Peck Endowment Fund; and James B. Flaws and Marcia D. Weber
Web Description: 
This monumental column is one of six made for Tiffany’s retail showroom in New York city. At the top of the column, pressed glass “jewels” are inset into the plaster capital. Just below, glass is cut and assembled to look like silk cords and tassels. The design matches a set of curtains flanking the columns in the showroom. The rainbowlike effect on the glass in this column is called iridescence and is just one of the many types of glass produced by Tiffany Studios.
Department: 
Provenance: 
Michaan's Auctions, Source
2018-04-13
Shepherd Gallery, Former Collection
Matsue English Garden, Former Collection
(1892-1902), Former Collection
Weiss, Beatrice, Former Collection
Laurelton Hall, Former Collection
Primary Description: 
Mosaic Column. Gold, blue, turquoise, and purple mosaic glass tesserae, colorless, gold foil-backed glass "jewels", wood, metal; carved or molded and gilded wood. Cylindrical Corinthian-style column tapering slightly towards top. Column decorated with gold-colored cut glass tesserae assembled to look like silk cords and tassels set within a blue matrix. Cords and tassels descend from a valence made of three-and-a-half rows of overlapping gold circles set within a lighter blue matrix. Capital of column consists of several rows of design elements, including two rows of molded gold foil-backed glass "jewels", three rows of gilded wood scrollwork, and a square top. Base of column is a replacement made of wood and plaster.
Tiffany's Glass Mosaics
Venue(s)
Corning Museum of Glass 2017-05-20 through 2018-01-08
When you hear the words “Tiffany” and “glass,” you may immediately think of leaded glass windows or luminous lamps, but artist Louis C. Tiffany expressed his passion for color and glass most innovatively in the technique of mosaic. From monumental architectural installations to inkwells for desktops, Tiffany’s Glass Mosaics will be the first museum exhibition focused exclusively on this aspect of Tiffany’s extraordinary artistic career. The exhibition will feature a selection of objects from museums, libraries, and private collections, including fireplace surrounds, decorative panels, desk accessories, design drawings, sample panels, lamps, trade literature, and a special look at Tiffany’s innovative materials including an array of sheet glass, glass “jewels,” and glass fragments drawn from the archive of The Neustadt Collection of Tiffany Glass. Treasured by local communities, many of Tiffany’s architectural glass mosaics survive today, tucked away in churches, libraries, universities and other public buildings. This exhibition at The Corning Museum of Glass will use new digital displays to bring these artworks to audiences in Corning. By examining the inventive materials and process—from design inspiration to fabrication—we hope that visitors will appreciate the creativity of Tiffany’s talented artists and artisans as never before. This exhibition is jointly organized by The Corning Museum of Glass and The Neustadt Collection of Tiffany Glass.
Treasures of Louis C. Tiffany from the Garden Museum, Japan
Venue(s)
Michaan's Auctions 2012-11-17 through 2017-03
 
The Corning Museum of Glass Annual Report 2018 (2019) illustrated, p. 5 (top); BIB# 718683
Tiffany's Glass Mosaics (2017) illustrated, p. 211;
Treasures of Louis C. Tiffany from the Garden Museum, Japan (2012) illustrated, Lot 120; BIB# 134666
The Mosaics of Louis Comfort Tiffany (2009) illustrated, p. 240;
Louis C. Tiffany: The Garden Museum Collection (2004) illustrated, pp. 182-183; BIB# 81365
Louis Comfort Tiffany at the Metropolitan Museum (1998) illustrated, pp. 50-51;