The early artistic jewelry of Louis C. Tiffany

Magazine Antiques, July, 2002 by Alice Cooney Frelinghuysen

Louis Comfort Tiffany, working during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, is the acknowledged master of virtually every decorative medium. He and his highly skilled craftsmen and women created stained-glass windows, leaded-glass lampshades, glass vases, pottery, furniture, interiors, mosaics, enamel work, and metalwork. Until recently, jewelry was the least - known aspect of his oeuvre. (1) Nonetheless, Tiffany's unique artistic spirit is arguably best seen in the earliest examples of his jewelry designs, when his personal involvement was most intense.

Two recent additions to the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City prompted this study. They are both hair ornaments made about 1904, the first year that Tiffany designed his own jewelry. The one shown on the cover and in Plate VIII is an extraordinarily sculptural piece in the form of two dandelion seedballs and two dragonflies. The second hair ornament (Pls. IIa, IIb), purchased last year, replicates the delicate blossom of Queen Anne's lace. These two objects join a necklace of grapes and grape leaves, which has been part of the museum's collection since 1946 (Pl. I). (2) These three early examples of Tiffany's jewelry exhibit his intense interest in nature, his use of semiprecious stones (particularly opals) in combination with enamel, and exquisite craftsmanship.

Turn-of-the-century jewelry both here and abroad was dominated by faceted precious stones, with diamonds predominant. However, it was also a time of renewed interest in the art of the jeweler, (3) with a shift to new stones, mainly semiprecious ones of many shades, combined with sculptural designs in gold. From being a self-conscious emblem of status or wealth because of the value of the jewels themselves, jewelry evolved into an art form emphasizing design and craftsmanship. By 1900 the public was beginning to acknowledge that a piece of jewelry "could by the beauty of its craftsmanship, by the artistic refinement of its form and design, exceed in value the precious materials used in gem-set jewellery." (4) This transformation was, in large part, the work of the French jeweler Rene Latique (1860-1945), his compatriot Georges Fouquet (1862-1957), and others.

Tiffany's knowledge of current jewelry trends worldwide came from articles and illustrations in the numerous art periodicals of the day. In addition, he saw examples at the major international expositions, both here and abroad, which he attended both as a spectator and often as an exhibitor. In addition to the shift toward semiprecious stones and enamel work, he observed the growing interest of European jewelry designers in nature, especially wildflowers and insects.

Of all those working in Europe, Lalique makes the most intriguing comparison to Tiffany. Both worked extensively in glass and other mediums in addition to jewelry, and they shared an intense reverence for nature, the skill of the goldsmith, and an appreciation for the new combinations possible with colored enamels. Equally influential for Tiffany was the jewelry being produced at Tiffany and Company, founded by his father, Charles Lewis Tiffany (1812-1902). The firm employed some of the most highly skilled metalsmiths and jewelers, as well as talented designers. Louis Tiffany's own work was often shown at Tiffany and Company's New York City showrooms as well as at international expositions. His Favrile glass, for example, was exhibited alongside Tiffany and Company silver and enamel pieces and jewelry at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo in 1901. Tiffany and Company's jewelry was characterized at that time as having been derived from or depicting nature, and took the form of brooches representing a bird of paradise, a large carnation, a butterfly with quivering wings, and a spray of wildflowers. (5) Louis Tiffany's relationship with Tiffany and Company became closer when he was appointed art director of the company after the death of his father in 1902. The company's work would, therefore, not only be familiar to Louis Tiffany but would also have a profound influence on him as he embarked on designing and making his own jewelry in the following years.

The earliest jewelry designed by Louis Tiffany was exhibited at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in Saint Louis, and it eclipsed Tiffany and Company's displays in the attention paid it by the art critics of the time. This landmark fair was the first of the international expositions held in the United States to integrate the decorative arts, also called "Original Objects of Art Workmanship," with the fine arts objects on view. (6) All the major artists of the day were represented, as were the most prominent individuals and companies working in the decorative arts. Louis Tiffany exhibited "twelve copper vases and bowls enriched with translucent enamels," fifty Favrile glass vases and other forms, and three pieces of Favrile pottery, described as "designed by Louis C. Tiffany and executed under his direction at the Tiffany Furnaces." (7)