Louis Comfort Tiffany

Artist James D. Smillie, from Louis Comfort Tiffany
By descent to his son George H. Smillie
Robert W. Skinner, Inc., Bolton, MA, late 1970s

Overall very good condition. The lot is sold together with a frame measuring 17 1/4 x 23 1/2 inches. Please contact the 20th century Design department for photographs . This work is executed in gouache and watercolor over traces of pencil on paper laid down on paperboard. The surface in generally good condition, and the colors are vibrant and fresh. The extreme lower left corner shows some signs of wear and very faint creasing, more apparent on the reverse. All extreme edges of board show some very minor abrasions, not visible once the work is installed in frame. When examined under UV light there are some minor areas of inpainting visible. This offering is a rare opportunity to acquire an early watercolor by Louis Comfort Tiffany and displays his talent as a colorist.
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.

Louis Comfort Tiffany started sketching as a child.  He first began taking informal lessons while in high school at the Eagleswood Military Academy in the mid-1860s, where he likely studied with George Innes.  His first painting as a “professional” artist was shown at the 1868 Paris Salon and at the Brooklyn Art Association’s exhibition in November 1868.

On November 2, 1869, a journalist wrote in the Utica (NY) Weekly Herald:  "Mr. Louis C. Tiffany, the young artist whose pictures received such commendation at the Academy last year, has just returned from the Adirondacks with a full portfolio of original studies, which he is industriously perfecting at his beautiful home on the Hudson.  No young artist has given greater promise of a successful career.”  The present lot is most probably one of these Adirondacks studies.