Provenance
The Estate of Aaron Frank
Sotheby's, New York, "Important Art Nouveau," March 29, 1979, lot 40
Edwin and Mary Triestman
Sotheby's, New York, "The Edwin & Mary Triestman Collection of Important Glass," June 14, 2006, lot 303
Acquired from the above by the present owner
Literature
Albert Christian Revi, American Art Nouveau Glass, Camden, NJ, 1968, p. 13 for a similar example
Catalogue Essay
Phillips would like to thank Dr. Martin Eidelberg for his assistance cataloguing the present lot.

Louis Comfort Tiffany’s career as an artist, designer, and businessman is perhaps best summarized as an exploration of beauty through innovation and relentless experimentation. These four works from the Fromer Collection speak to the diversity of approaches to design that Tiffany Studios took at the beginning of the twentieth century. The Diatreta vase (lot 143) is an example of Tiffany’s groundbreaking invention of Favrile glass, the term that he used for his iridescent glassware. Diatreta refers to the cup’s form, which originates from Ancient Roman glassmaking traditions in which the lace-like exterior of the vessel is detached from the inner beaker form. Later, Tiffany began exploring ceramic making with his lamp bases, such as lot 140, in which he imitated the appearance of metalsmithing techniques. Tiffany Studio’s later pottery was often monochromatic and relied on motifs from nature, as seen in the vase with seed pods (lot 142).

Important Works from the Ann and Robert Fromer Collection

Tiffany Studios

"Diatreta" vase

circa 1907
Favrile glass.
2 7/8 in. (7.3 cm) high
Underside with Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company paper label, likely applied later.

Estimate
$7,000 - 9,000

Contact Specialist

DesignNewYork@phillips.com
+1 212 940 1265

New York Auction 17 December 2019