Tiffany Studios

Swirling Iridescence: "Paperweight" Vases

The Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company’s so-called “Paperweight” vases were created by encasing a design between two relatively thin layers of transparent glass and then usually adding a gold or orange-gold iridescence to the interior surface. This technique was eventually perfected with the addition of millefiori and proved to be an ideal vehicle to visually express Louis Tiffany’s love of flowers.

When the method was first employed by the glasshouse around 1902, however, the gaffers were unsure exactly how to employ the technique and a brief period of experimentation ensued. An ornate swirled design was frequently the result, as is aptly demonstrated by two other “Paperweight” examples offered here: the miniature vase (lot 341) and lot 329, with its highly unusual upper and lower exterior bands of iridescent gold and brown. In the same vein, but even rarer, is this vase with an applied “Cypriote” overlay. The transparent body, with a heavy interior multi-hued iridescence, encases green, cream and brown swirls that are mimicked by the swirls of pitted and textured “Cypriote” glass that additionally are a wonderful contrast to the smooth, glossy surface of the vase itself. This decoration was infrequently employed and only for a very brief period around 1902, probably because the technique was so difficult to master.

- PD