Louis Comfort Tiffany

Biography of Louis Comfort Tiffany

Louis is the son of Harriet and Charles Lewis Tiffany, founder of a flourishing company of jewelry, Tiffany Co. He off studies in 1866 with the Academy National Design.

Its first realization is a painting carried out whereas he is pupil of George Inness in 1867. In 24 years, it is interested in work of glass. It is at this period that it meets Mary Woodbridge Goddard, that it will marry on May 15th, 1872. It creates, in 1885, its own company of work of glass and invents a process to manufacture opaline glasses, to which other artists prefer glass tinted in light. Each point of view is justified by the ideals of the movement Arts and Crafts rested by William Morris in Great Britain. One of the competitors of Comfort is the John glassmaker Farge (1835-1910). In 1893, its company introduces a novel method, Favrile, for the manufacture of vases and bowls. This name is derived from Latin fabrilis, meaning made to the hand. It constructs stained glasses in addition (in particular with the Church church off the Incarnation, Madison Avenue, in New York), while its company creates a complete range of interior decorations. It uses of all its talent for the design of its own house, Laurelton Hall, in Oyster Bay, Long Island, finished in 1904. It creates many companies: L.C. Tiffany & Associated Artists (created in 1879), undertaken interior decoration (in which in particular Stanford White collaborated), Tiffany Glass Co (created in 1885), Tiffany Glass and Decorating Co, Tiffany Studios, Tiffany Furnaces and L.C. Tiffany Furnaces. It gradually withdraws businesses at the end of the years 1920. Its firm Tiffany studios goes bankrupt into 19321, one year before its death. Louis Comfort Tiffany was buried with the cemetery of Green-Wood to Brooklyn (New York).

He invented Tiffany lamps in art deco style.

Louis wire of Harriet and Charles Lewis Tiffany, founder of the famous Tiffany house & Co. in New York. He off studies in 1866 with the Academy National Design.

Louis Comfort Tiffany intended himself initially for painting, it had the American landscape designer George Inness (1825 - 1894)

He made a first stay in Europe of 1865 to 1866, then there went back and studied near Leon-Charles Bailly, he however was more influenced by the painter Leon-Adolphe-Auguste Belly French Orientaliste painter.

Returned in the United States in 1869, Tiffany set out again for Europe in July 1870 and will go then to Morocco, to Algeria, to Tunisia and Egypt accompanied by the painter Robert Swain Gifford.

It returned to the in February 1871 United States, Tiffany and Giffort carried out many paintings together.

In 24 years, it is interested in work of glass. It is at this period that it meets Mary Woodbridge Goddard, that it will marry on May 15th, 1872.

The store Tiffany de Union Public garden in New York presented an object-choice of art of most impressive; Sevres chinas, ceramics Chinese, Japanese, lamps of the French glass Masters, the bronze statues of the artists Barye, Falguière, Frémiet ect...

In 1885, it creates its own company of work of glass and invents a process to manufacture opaline glasses, to which other artists prefer glass tinted in light. Each point of view is justified by the ideals of the movement Arts and Crafts rested by William Morris in Great Britain. One of the competitors of Comfort is the John glassmaker Farge (1835-1910).

The glassmaking is the field or he is known the most, various stained glasses, vases, lamps, jewels, objects. He is interested in it since 1870 by beginning a collection from antiquities. He introduces several innovations into the technique of glassmaker of which some were the subject of patents: draped glasse, where the paste in fusion is folded up on itself, use of several superimposed layers, inclusion of pieces of glass coloré, Its most remarkable contribution is the creation of its Favrile glass which includes metal salts.

The sumptuous ornamentation, looked after work, the spectacular and original effects of light and color which characterize its glass production (vases out of blown glass, stained glasses, Tiffany lamps and objects) place it in the middle of many artistic movements of its time, Arts & Crafts and the American esthetic Movement until the Art nouveau and Symbolism. 

The creation of stained glasses was an important activity for Tiffany which produced several thousands of specimens in its atelier. Designing the drawing, it was helped for that by its team, whose most known members were Agnès Northrop and Frederick Wilson. The prevalent topics were the religion and the landscapes.

Its multiple lamps remain one of its creations the most known, even if Tiffany hardly tasted with the mass production which they imply, preferring implicitly the manufacture of works uniques5. They coincide with the appearance of electric lighting. Their floral decorations made part of the reputation of the artist.

In 1893, its company introduces a novel method, Favrile, for the manufacture of vases and bowls. This name is derived from Latin fabrilis, meaning made to the hand. It constructs stained glasses in addition (in particular with the Church church off the Incarnation, Madison Avenue, in New York), while its company creates a complete range of interior decorations. It uses of all its talent for the design of its own house, Laurelton Hall, in Oyster Bay, Long Island, finished in 1904.

It creates many companies: L.C. Tiffany & Associated Artists (created in 1879), undertaken interior decoration (in which in particular Stanford White collaborated), Tiffany Glass Co (created in 1885), Tiffany Glass and Decorating Co, Tiffany Studios, Tiffany Furnaces and L.C. Tiffany Furnaces.

It gradually withdraws businesses at the end of the years 1920. Its firm Tiffany studios goes bankrupt in 1932, one year before its death.

Louis Comfort Tiffany was buried with the cemetery of Green-Wood to Brooklyn (New York).

Louis Comfort Tiffany on wikipédia