Tiffany Studios

Ordinary Treasures –

Fancy Goods

The company’s use of the term “Fancy Goods” initially appears in their 1906 Price List. Objects that fall under that category, however, were first made almost a decade earlier. The Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company established a foundry, capable of producing bronze castings of a phenomenal quality, in the late 1890s and suitable metalware of all types were soon manufactured.

The department responsible for designing these objects was led by Clara Driscoll (1861-1944). Driscoll led the company’s Women’s Glass Cutting Department and by 1899 was responsible for “all the portable objects in Favrile glass and metal combinations.” She, and the rest of the “Tiffany Girls” under her leadership, proved to be extremely adept at creating innovative designs that soon took advantage all the manufacturing skills and capabilities of the company, though Louis C. Tiffany’s role in the department’s artistic and commercial success should not be minimized. He was, after all, in the forefront of hiring women for design work and production, firmly believing in their superior manual dexterity and sense of color in comparison to men. Furthermore, Tiffany was responsible for approving all of the designs, frequently ignoring his financial advisors’ concerns that the cost of production would be greater than any potential profit.

Driscoll, with Tiffany’s aesthetic and financial support and the increased capacity of the company’s new foundry constructed in 1904, quickly expanded the number and variety of fancy goods. Desk accessories were extremely popular, and perhaps no single type of object best typifies the firm’s decorative imagination than their inkstands. It is not surprising that the “Tiffany Girls” incorporated Favrile glass in many of the models and turtle-back tiles were especially well suited for fancy goods. They could be manufactured relatively easily in large quantities, in a wide variety of colors, and to precise measurements. The double inkstand (lot 245), with its secret stamp box, is made of beautifully cast gilt bronze set with iridescent blue tiles. The inside of the hinged cover is cleverly fitted with small hooks that would have held up to three pens. The model was listed in the company’s 1906 price list as “1068. INKSTAND, stamp boxes, casket, double, T.B. top inside” and, at $75, was the most expensive inkstand made at the time by Tiffany Studios. The five-digit serial number on this specific piece indicates it was a relatively early example.

The revolving triple inkstand (lot 246) is also superbly cast, the brown and green patinated body with a peaked scalloped upper rim. The top features 3 differently colored turtle-back tile covers so the user could distinguish the color of the ink in each well. Additionally, the body is cleverly designed to rotate so the user could easily switch ink colors without having to stand up. Listed in the 1906 price list as “1071. INKSTAND, 3 wells, revolving, T.B. glass $60,” it was the second costliest inkstand sold by the company.

Both inkstands, discontinued by 1913, beautifully demonstrate Tiffany Studios’ ability to transform a standard, prosaic desk accessory into something to be treasured by its owner. Louis C. Tiffany, through his thoughts and actions, imbued each item produced by his company with an artistry and sense of design rarely matched in American history.

- PD