Tiffany Studios

Textural Fusion: The "Devitrified" Vase

The highly unusual “Devitrified” technique was developed very late in Tiffany Furnaces’ history. Louis Tiffany was no longer actively participating in the company’s production after 1919 and his role was assumed by A. Douglas Nash and his brother Leslie, both sons of Arthur Nash, the glasshouse’s original and long-time superintendent. Additionally, most of the original glassworkers had either died or left the firm. The Nash brothers attempted new decorative methods to fill the void and “Devitrified” glass was one of those efforts. Leslie Nash claimed credit for the technique and vaguely explained the use of “semi-crystallized” glass to create the unusual texture. In actuality, the visually striking effect was probably created by inserting glass shards into the vase’s interior while it was still hot and on the pontil rod and then placed briefly into the glory hole to fuse the shards to the body.

- PD