Description

The dawn of the 20th century spurred artistic movements in Europe and America that created fresh approaches to design. A return to craftsmanship aligned with the opening of trade with Japan introduced a turn toward naturalistic forms and decorative motifs. Tiffany’s singular contribution to this movement, later termed the Art Nouveau or new art, was the shimmering iridescence of his Favrile glass. Using small pieces of this glass, his designers created lamps and windows that were a commercial and critical success both in Europe and America. Symbolic ideas of shock and decadence resulted in designs for swampy landscapes with pond lilies and dark hideaways inhabited by bugs and spiders.