Tiffany glass

Tiffany Studios

Main article: Louis Comfort Tiffany

Main article: Roman Bronze Works

Main article: General Bronze Corporation

The favrile, or "fabrile" glass was manufactured at the Tiffany factory located at 96–18 43rd Avenue in the Corona section of Queens from 1901 to 1932. Today, the Louis Tiffany School or New York City's P.S. (public school) 110Q, is now built on the old site.

Closing

The closing of the factory has been a matter of some controversy. Tiffany's glass fell out of favor in the 1910s, and by the 1920s a foundry had been installed for a separate bronze company. Tiffany's leadership and talent, as well as his father's money and old firm allowed Tiffany to relaunch Tiffany studios as a marketing strategy in order for his business to thrive. In 1932, Tiffany Studios filed for bankruptcy. Ownership of the complex passed back to the original owners of the factory — the Roman Bronze Works — which had served as a subcontractor to Tiffany for many years." John Polachek, founder of the General Bronze Corporation —who had worked at the Tiffany Studios earlier— purchased the Roman Bronze Works (the old Tiffany Studios). General Bronze then became the largest bronze fabricator in New York City formed through the merger of his own companies and Tiffany's Corona factory. Louis Tiffany subsequently died in 1933.

Types

Opalescent glass

The term "opalescent glass" is commonly used to describe glass where more than one color is present, being fused during the manufacture, as against flashed glass in which two colors may be laminated, or silver stained glass where a solution of silver nitrate is superficially applied, turning red glass to orange and blue glass to green. Some opalescent glass was used by several stained glass studios in England from the 1860s and 1870s onwards, notably Heaton, Butler and Bayne. Its use became increasingly common. Opalescent glass is the basis for the range of glasses created by Tiffany.The use of the term opalescent is actually a misnomer. Opalescence actually refers to the quality of changing color under transmitted light, rather than the quality of having several colors present. A rare example of true opalescent glass is the Roman Lycurgus cup in the British Museum

In addition opalescent glass comes in three main types. The first type is exemplified by blue-tinged semi-opaque or clear glass with milky opalescence in the center, seen in creations by Lalique, Sabino, and Jobling's. This effect is achieved through slower cooling, causing crystallization. The glass glows golden when backlit and a beautiful blue when front-lit. Many French companies in the 1920s and 1930s, such as Lalique and Sabino, produced opalescent art deco pieces. The second type features a milky white edge or raised pattern on colored pressed glass. Reheating sections during the cooling process turns them white, creating a decorative effect. This method was employed by various companies, including Barolac in Bohemia, Joblings in England, and Val St Lambert in Belgium. The third type involves hand-blown glass with two layers, containing heat-reactive components like bone ash. The glass is blown into a mold with a raised pattern, and reheating turns the heat-sensitive glass milky white, creating a contrasting silhouette against the clear background (for more information https://www.glassencyclopedia.com/opalescentglass.html).

Favrile glass

Main article: Favrile glass

Tiffany patented Favrile glass in 1892. Favrile glass often has a distinctive characteristic that is common in some glass from Classical antiquity: it possesses a superficial iridescence. This iridescence causes the surface to shimmer, but also causes a degree of opacity. This iridescent effect of the glass was obtained by mixing different colors of glass together while hot.

Streamer glass

Streamer glass refers to a sheet of glass with a pattern of glass strings affixed to its surface. Tiffany made use of such textured glass to represent, for example, twigs, branches and grass. Streamers are prepared from very hot molten glass, gathered at the end of a punty (pontil) that is rapidly swung back and forth and stretched into long, thin strings that rapidly cool and harden. These hand-stretched streamers are pressed on the molten surface of sheet glass during the rolling process, and become permanently fused.

Fracture glass

Fracture glass refers to a sheet of glass with a pattern of irregularly shaped, thin glass wafers affixed to its surface. Tiffany made use of such textured glass to represent, for example, foliage seen from a distance. The irregular glass wafers, called fractures, are prepared from very hot, colored molten glass, gathered at the end of a blowpipe. A large bubble is forcefully blown until the walls of the bubble rapidly stretch, cool and harden. The resulting glass bubble has paper-thin walls and is immediately shattered into shards. These hand blown shards are pressed on the surface of the molten glass sheet during the rolling process, to which they become permanently fused.

Fracture-streamer glass

Fracture-streamer glass refers to a sheet of glass with a pattern of glass strings, and irregularly shaped, thin glass wafers, affixed to its surface. Tiffany made use of such textured glass to represent, for example, twigs, branches and grass, and distant foliage. The process is as above except that both streamers and fractures are applied to sheet glass during the rolling process.

Ring mottle glass

Ring mottle glass refers to sheet glass with a pronounced mottle created by localized, heat-treated opacification and crystal-growth dynamics. Ring mottle glass was invented by Tiffany in the early 20th century. Tiffany's distinctive style exploited glass containing a variety of motifs such as those found in ring mottle glass, and he relied minimally on painted details.

When Tiffany Studio closed in 1929–1930, the secret formula for making ring mottle glass was forgotten and lost. Ring mottle glass was re-discovered in the late sixties by Eric Lovell of Uroboros Glass. Traditionally used for organic details on leaves and other natural elements, ring mottles also find a place in contemporary work when abstract patterns are desired.

Ripple glass

Main article: Rippled glass

Ripple glass refers to textured glass with marked surface waves. Tiffany made use of such textured glass to represent, for example, water or leaf veins. The texture is created during the glass sheet-forming process. A sheet is formed from molten glass with a roller that spins on itself while travelling forward. Normally the roller spins at the same speed as its own forward motion, much like a steam roller flattening tarmac, and the resulting sheet has a smooth surface. In the manufacture of rippled glass, the roller spins faster than its own forward motion. The rippled effect is retained as the glass cools.

Drapery glass

Drapery glass refers to a sheet of heavily folded glass that suggests fabric folds. Tiffany made abundant use of drapery glass in ecclesiastical stained glass windows to add a three-dimensional effect to flowing robes and angel wings, and to imitate the natural coarseness of magnolia petals. The making of drapery glass requires skill and experience. A small diameter hand-held roller is manipulated forcefully over a sheet of molten glass to produce heavy ripples, while folding and creasing the entire sheet. The ripples become rigid and permanent as the glass cools. Each sheet produced from this artisanal process is unique.

Cutting techniques

In order to cut streamer, fracture or ripple glass, the sheet may be scored on the side without streamers, fractures or ripples with a carbide glass cutter, and broken at the score line with breaker-grozier pliers. In order to cut drapery glass, the sheet may be placed on styrofoam, scored with a carbide glass cutter, and broken at the score line with breaker-grozier pliers, but a bandsaw or ringsaw are the preferred.

Locations and collections

Stained glass ''in situ''

• Canada
  • Ontario
    • London – St Paul's Cathedral, four windows, two signed by Tiffany
  • Quebec
    • Montreal – Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Bourgie Pavilion (formerly Erskine and American United Church), twenty windows signed by Tiffany
• Mexico
  • Mexico City – Palacio de Bellas ArtesStage "curtain" which is a stained glass foldable panel created out of nearly a million pieces of iridescent colored glass by Tiffany's in New York.
  • Mexico City – Gran Hotel Ciudad de México
• Scotland
  • Aberdeenshire – St Peter's Kirk, Fyvie
  • Dunfermline – Dunfermline Abbey
  • Edinburgh – Parish Church of Saint Cuthbert
• United States
  • Alabama

Mobile – Christ Church Cathedral

Museums

• United Kingdom
  • England
    • Haworth Art Gallery, Accrington
• United States
  • Florida
    • Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art, Winter Park
  • Illinois
    • Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago
    • Halim Time and Glass Museum, Evanston
  • Louisiana
    • Newcomb Art Museum, Tulane University, New Orleans
  • Michigan
    • Ella Sharp Museum of Art and History, Jackson
    • Meadow Brook Hall, Rochester
    • University of Michigan Museum of Art, Ann Arbor
  • New York
    • Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, New York City
    • Metropolitan Museum of Art, Manhattan, New York City
    • Neustadt Collection of Tiffany Glass, Queens Museum, Queens, New York City
    • New-York Historical Society, Manhattan, New York City
  • Pennsylvania
    • Allentown Art Museum, Allentown
  • Texas
    • Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas
    • Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Houston
  • Virginia
    • Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond
  • Wisconsin
    • Charles Allis Art Museum, Milwaukee

References

Informational notes

Citations

Further reading

References

1. Kastner, Jeffrey. (February 25, 2007). "Out of Tiffany's Shadow, a Woman of Light". [[The New York Times]].
2. McGreevy, Nora, ''[https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/after-100-years-obscurity-brilliant-tiffany-stained-glass-window-shine-chicago-180977850/ Stunning Tiffany Stained Glass Debuts After 100 Years of Obscurity]'', Smithsonian Magazine, May 28, 2021
3. (1976). "Stained Glass". Spring Books.
4. Staff. (June 14, 2013). "R.I.P. Tiffany Studios, Corona". [[Forgotten New York]].
5. "A Chronology of Louis C. Tiffany and Tiffany Studios".
6. "Tiffany Studios".
7. "Roman Bronze Works". Carter Museum.
8. (19 August 1928). "Creating a New Bronze Age". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
9. (31 January 1928). "BRONZE CORPORATION BUYS TIFFANY STUDIOS; John Polachek Again in Control of Metal Working Plant Which He Once Managed.". The New York Times Publishing.
10. (18 April 1955). "John Polachek, An Industrialist". The New York Times.
11. "Ring Mottle Opalescent Sheet Glass". Uroboros Glass Studios, Inc..
12. "El telón de cristal del Palacio de Bellas Artes, joya única en el mundo".
13. Ochoa, Andrea. (2020-12-14). "La historia del vitral Tiffany del Gran Hotel de la Ciudad de México".
14. "Tiffany Census: St. Peter's Chapel, Mare Island, Vallejo, California".
15. "Tiffany Stained Glass Window". Center Church on the Green.
16. (2004). "Architecture & History". Trinity Lutheran Church.
17. "Campus".
18. "Christ Reformed Episcopal Church, Chicago, Illinois". Cambridge 2000.
19. (April 19, 2017). "Methodist History: Tiffany Church Windows". The United Methodist Church.
20. "History". Trinity Episcopal Church of Covington Kentucky.
21. "Tiffany Census: St. James Episcopal Church, Baton Rouge, Louisiana".
22. Duplessis Jasmin, Alicia. (July 19, 2016). "Tiffany windows are Tulane treasure". Tulane University.
23. "Our History".
24. "Our Stained Glass Windows {{!}} St. Paul's Church {{!}} Nantucket".
25. "University Greys Memorial Window Contextualization Plaque Text".
26. "Stained Glass Windows". Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.
27. Di Ionno, Mark. (8 August 2012). "Di Ionno: At historic Rutgers chapel, stained glass is still shining". [[The Star-Ledger]].
28. O'Toole, Tim. "For a Closer Look". First Presbyterian Church of Albany.
29. Murphy, Robert. (April 7, 2018). "Opalescent Stained Glass at St. Andrew's Church". Beacon Historical Society.
30. (1996). "Glory in Glass: A Celebration of the Briarcliff Congregational Church". privately printed.
31. Clemens, Chris. (June 25, 2014). "Taking an Inside Tour of St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral in Downtown Buffalo". Exploring Upstate.
32. "Tiffany Windows". First Presbyterian Church.
33. Rasheed, Tara. (May 18, 2012). "Brown Memorial Baptist Church, Brooklyn". Untapped Cities.
34. Swidler, Kim Stuart. (August 29, 2012). "Secrets of NYC's Grand Central Terminal: Outdoor Tiffany Clock Up Close". [[Times Union (Albany).
35. Staff (ndg) [https://www.grandcentralterminal.com/what-to-see/ "What to See: Tiffany Clock & Park Avenue Viaduct"] [[Grand Central Terminal]] official website
36. Young, Michelle (October 15, 2014) [https://untappedcities.com/2014/10/15/inside-the-worlds-largest-tiffany-clock-at-grand-central-terminal/ "Inside the World's Largest Tiffany Clock at Grand Central Terminal"] ''Untapped New York''
37. "Trinity Church History". Trinity Episcopal Church.
38. Rikki N. Massand. (7 September 2018). "Preservationists criticize St. Paul's concept". Garden City News.
39. Rob Alvey. (November 28, 2008). "Tiffany Studio Window At St. Paul's Confirmed". Garden City News.
40. "Te Deum Window". Westminster Presbyterian Church.
41. "Te Deum Window". Westminster Presbyterian Church.
42. Campbell, Charlie. (June 2025). "Woodland Cemetery & Arboretum". Dayton Convention & Visitors Bureau.
43. (July 25, 2022). "Christ's Church of Greensburg looks to future, holds on to tradition as bicentennial approaches". TribLIVE.
44. "You're Welcome". St. Mark's Episcopal Church.
45. "Welcome". Lewistown First United Methodist Church.
46. [https://calvarypgh.com/calvary/history.php "History and Architecture"] Calvary United Methodist Church]
47. "Uniontown Downtown Historic District Nomination Form". National Register of Historic Places.
48. "A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE BASILICA". The Basilica of Sts. Peter & Paul.
49. "The Beginning". Trinity Episcopal Church.
50. Joyce Athay Janetski, [https://collections.lib.utah.edu/details?id=418758 "Louis Comfort Tiffany: Stained Glass in Utah,"] ''Utah Preservation/Restoration: A Publication for the Preservationist'', vol. 3 (1981), pp. 20–25.
51. Joyce Athay Janetski, [https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1981/01/stained-glass-windows-a-latter-day-saint-legacy "Stained Glass Windows: A Latter-day Saint Legacy"], ''[[Ensign (LDS magazine). Ensign]]'', January 1981, pp. 34–41.
52. (21 June 2013). "Visiting". Trinity Episcopal Church.
53. "Permanent Exhibitions: Tiffany Treasures". [[Oshkosh Public Museum]].
54. "Haworth Art Gallery, Accrington". Hyndburn Borough Council.
55. (2016). "Welcome to the Morse Museum". Charles Hosmer Morse Foundation, Inc..
56. (21 February 2020). "Tiffany church window, unnoticed in Providence, will be a star attraction in Chicago art museum". The Providence Journal.
57. (7 July 2016). "Magnificent Obsession Morphs into a Stained-Glass Museum". The New York Times.
58. "Tiffany Windows". Newcomb Art Museum.
59. "Meadow Brook Hall History {{!}} Rochester, MI".
60. "Exchange{{!}}Search: artist:"Louis Comfort Tiffany"".
61. "Experience Tiffany Glass". The Neustadt.
62. "Landscape Window". New-York Historical Society.
63. "Tiffany Windows at the AAM".
64. (2000). "Tri-Fold Screen". Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.
65. (2012). "Ornamental Hair Comb". Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.