Tiffany Glass: A Passion For Colour

The undisputed master of glass, Louis Comfort Tiffany created decorative works of art utilizing color, light, and texture, forging a unique and spectacular style. Tiffany began his career as an interior designer, but unable to find the types of glass that he desired, his interest turned toward the creation of stained glass. In 1878, he opened his own studio and glass foundry. His creativity and originality both as a designer of windows, lamps, and vases, and as a producer of the material with which to create them quickly became renowned. He is considered one of the most versatile and talented artists of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. While exploring Tiffany’s domestic interiors, A Passion for Colour focuses on Tiffany’s dazzling and dramatic work on religious and secular stained glass, vases, and lamps. Included in the book are 250 lavish color plates that examine in rich detail the fine workmanship and inventive techniques of Tiffany and his studio. In addition, the book includes vintage photographs, drawings, and sketches that provide further insight into his creative process. This book accompanies an exhibition of the same title organized by the Museum of Fine Arts of Montreal and presented at the Musée du Luxembourg, Paris, and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond.

Louis C. Tiffany (1848–1933), son of the famous American jeweler Charles Lewis Tiffany, was an artist and designer best known for his work in stained glass. He designed windows, lamps, glass mosaics, ceramics, jewelry, enamels, and metalwork.

Rosalind Pepall is Curator of Decorative Arts at the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montreal.