Candlestick (one of a pair)

Accession Number
1999/1.87A&B

Title
Candlestick (one of a pair)

Artist(s)
Louis Comfort Tiffany

Object Creation Date
circa 1918

Medium & Support
bronze and glass

Dimensions
15 1/4 in. (38.6 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Julia Woods Andrews in memory of Ella Johns Andrews

Subject matter
Tiffany was conversant with glass (both mosaics and blown glass vessels) from different cultures and epochs, including that of ancient Rome. This miniature vase exhibits Tiffany's mastery of asymmetrical form (which recalls late antique glass as well as sharing in the aesthetic of Art Nouveau) and recalls the beautiful small bottles that contained perfumes or precious oils excavated from Roman sites. Tiffany's gorgeous use of color and iridescence in a small vase such as this also evokes the iridescence of excavated Roman glass--not an intended effect in the Roman work but a result of chemical changes in the glass as a consequence of contact with acidic and moist earth. In this small vase, Tiffany conjures up all the rich association of late Roman glass as well as the opulent color and lines of Tiffany's contemporary arts and crafts.

Physical Description
One of a pair of candlesticks with irridescent glass cup-like vessel on metal stem

Primary Object Classification
Decorative Arts

Primary Object Type
candlestick

Collection Area
Modern and Contemporary

Rights
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1 Related Resource

Cabinet S: Shelf 2
(Part of: Albertine Monroe-Brown Study-Storage Gallery)

& Author Notes

All Rights Reserved

On display

UMMA Gallery Location ➜ AMH, 2nd floor ➜ 205 (Albertine Monroe-Brown Study-Storage Gallery) ➜ Cabinet S ➜ Shelf 2