Tiffany Studios

Arthur Douglas and Elizabeth Scott Nash, 1911
Dr. George W. Hopkins, April 1919
Mrs. Elizabeth Brown, ca. 1943-1944
acquired by the present owner in June 1956

James Driscoll, Flushing: 1880-1935, Chicago, 2005, p. 96

Very good overall condition. There are approximately 13 cracked favrile glass tiles, all of which appear to be stable. Some tiles have a slightly hazy surface appearance due to a transparent white surface residue and surface soiling, which would benefit from a thorough cleaning. The wood surfaces have been cleaned and refinished, and show some occasional light surface scratches and abrasions, along with minor shrinkage cracks consistent with age and use. As expected, the tiles with some occasional minor surface imperfections inherent in the making which do not detract from the overall design. On the reverse, the side panels of the surround are backed with plywood. The surround is incredibly impressive in person and is slight more vivid in color than in the catalogue illustration, which is slightly dark.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Arthur Douglas Nash (1881-1940) was born to Arthur John Nash and his wife in Shipton-on-Stour, near Stourbridge, the hub of the Victorian glass-making industry. Arthur J. Nash (1849-1934), who had worked for Edward Webb & Sons, sailed to New York around 1890 , where he was hired by Louis C. Tiffany to manage the glass operation for his firm's planned factory in Corona, in the borough of Queens.  In time, A. Douglas Nash joined his father in The Tiffany Glass & Decorating Company, renamed Tiffany Furnaces in 1904, initially as a distributor of glass to the firm's various sales representatives.

After WWI, Tiffany Furnaces underwent a major re-organization, and on January 6, 1920, was re-incorporated as Louis C. Tiffany Furnaces, Inc., with A. Douglas Nash as its manager.  In a contractual agreement dated November 19, 1928, Mr. Tiffany and the firm, on the one hand, and Arthur J. Nash and his two sons, A. Douglas and Leslie Hayden, on the other, agreed to close the business on December 31st of that year, citing continuing indebtedness and poor expectations.  Pursuant to the agreement, Mr. Tiffany purchased the Nashs' stock in the firm and settled its outstanding debt. For his part, A. Douglas Nash took over the furnaces at the Corona factory, which he renamed the A. Douglas Nash Corporation.  The stock market crash on October 24, 1929, led to the collapse of the luxury goods business and, with it, all prospects for Mr. Nash's glass business.  Following its closure shortly thereafter, Nash moved to Toledo, Ohio, where he joined the Libbey Glass Company; he died in 1940.

During his tenure at Tiffany Furnaces, A. Douglas Nash built a mansion for his family in Waldheim, a subdivision of Flushing, close to the Tiffany factory.  The home was built in 1911 by the Wallace Appleton Company.  Installed in the first-floor library was this impressive tiled fireplace surround flanked by Tiffany Wisteria leaded glass panels.  The home was sold by the Nash family in 1919, and had four successive owners prior to being demolished in September 1986, when the surround was removed.