Amazing Louis Comfort Tiffany watercolor. 30 x 22 inches. Provenance: private owner.
Biography: 1848 - 1933. Louis Comfort Tiffany, painter, stained glass designer, studio glass artist, art director, and craftsman, was born in New York, February 18th, 1848. Tiffany was a student of George Inness and Samuel Coleman in New York and Leon Bailly in Paris. Early on it was Tiffany's achievement in stained glass that brought him world fame. One contemporary critic of Tiffany stated: "It is acknowledged by all experts that the great advance made in this country in both colored windows and wall mosaic work is largely due to the discoveries and inventions of Mr. Tiffany, Particularly that of Favrile Glass." Favrile glass was an iridescent glass that Tiffany created in his famous Tiffany studios, and Favrile glass was copied by almost every important glass studio working at the time, but few came close to the quality and style that Tiffany employed in his process.Very few people associate Tiffany with anything else but "art glass" and "lamps" but he was a very gifted painter who demonstrated as much an appreciation for color and light in his canvases as he did his glass. He was an excellent draftsman (perhaps from his background as a designer) and quite skilled in the way he handled his paint application, quick, unlabored strokes were used to create excellent effect of light and shadow. A critic wrote: "In painting, Mr. Tiffany makes a specialty of oriental scenes. Well known subjects are: "Street Scene in Tangiers" 'Feeding the Flamingoes" "Dock scene" The cobblers at Boufarick" "Market day at Nuremburg" "Study of Quimper, Brittany" and "Duane street, New York."Tiffany painted all over the world from Asia, Africa, Europe, and the United States recording scenes from every day life that seem plain and unworldly when compared to his elaborate decorations in glass. They have a certain charm to them, especially when viewed against the background of the man who created them. In Tffany's paintings one almost gets the sense that these were his recreation, that he found comfort in the plain honest truth of everyday life and sought to capture it on canvas.He was also known for landscapes, portraits, towns, gardens, interiors, Orientals, and North African scenes. Tiffany was an associate member of the National Academy of Design, 1887; full member, 1880; elected chevalier of the Legion of Honor of France, 1900. In 1877, he was one of the Secessionist Artists that included John La Farge and Augustus Saint- Gaudens who rebelled against the staid National Academy and formed the Society of American Artists.Memberships include the American Watercolor Society; New York Architectural League, 1889; Century Association; National Arts Club; New York Society of Fine Arts; New York Municipal Art Society; New York Etching Club; Societe Nationale des beaux Arts and others.He won numerous awards including: Gold medal for applied arts, Paris Expo., 1900; gold medal, Panama Pacific Expo., San Francisco, 1915; gold medal, Sesquicentennial Expo., Philadelphia, 1926.He was art director and president of Tiffany Co. In 1918 he established the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation for art students at Oyster Bay, Long Island, and deeded to it his art collections, gallery, chapel and country estate.He died January 17th, 1933 in New York City.

All authorship of items in this catalog are described according to the following terms:

Signed [Artist Name] : In cases in which the signature is legible in the lot, this work is described as-is with no attributions given.

By [Artist Name] : The work is by the artist.

Attributed to [Artist Name] : The work may be ascribed to the artist on the basis of style, but there may be some question as to actual authorship.

In the manner of [Artist Name] : The work was executed by an unknown hand, but was designed deliberately to emulate the style of the artist.

After [Artist Name] : The work was executed by an unknown hand, but is a deliberate copy of a known work by the artist.

Circle of [Artist Name] : A work of the period of the artist showing his influence, closely associated with the artist but not necessarily his pupil.

Follower of [Artist Name]: A work by a pupil or a follower of the artist (not necessarily a pupil).

American, 19th century: This work was executed by an unknown hand, and can only be identified by origin (i.e., region, period).

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