This is the second part on a series on ‘Iridescence’. You can read the first part here, or return and read an introduction to colours, as well as individually about the colours blue, red, yellow, and green.
If you’ve ever wandered through a museum displaying ancient artefacts, chances are you were amazed at the quality and artistry displayed in glass objects of that time. The has some incredible pieces shining with iridescent colours:
Left: glass weight from the Fatimid period; Middle: glass fragment from the Roman period, possibly part of an eye amulet; Right: glass fragment from the late Roman period (Petrie Museum: UC13298, UC22744, UC67914).
However, despite the undeniable talents of ancient glassmakers, this particular effect was not intentional or even achieved during production. In fact, iridescence found in ancient glass is a result of weathering of its surface caused by burial. The weathering process itself depends largely on the burial conditions such as heat, humidity and type of soil, although the chemistry of the glass, determined by the purity of raw materials and their compositional ratio, also plays a part. The iridescence is produced when alkalis, or soluble salts, are leached from the buried glass by slightly acidic water present in the soil. This in turn causes the formation of very fine layers which can delaminate or even flake off creating a prism effect.
But it wasn’t until the very end of the 19th century that the iridescence of ancient glass was replicated by Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933), the son of Charles Tiffany – the New York jeweller. He began his career as an aspiring painter but soon realised that his true potential was in interior decoration. It is generally thought that during his extensive travels Tiffany became inspired by the glasswork and mosaics of antiquity and devoted to the idea of restoring stained glass to its former glory by striving to achieve the same standards of beauty as the ones present in antique masterpieces[1]. Prior to the twelfth century, stained glass works were executed with differently coloured glass pieces as opposed to the later technique of painting on clear glass, which dulled it considerably and created a flat two-dimensional effect. Tiffany’s experiments with glass during the 1880s completely revolutionized the look of the medium and in 1894 he patented favrile glass[2]. By adding different or same shades of colour into the hot mixture Tiffany created a material different from other iridescent glasses as the effect was not just confined to the surface but part of the glass itself.
Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company was established in 1892 in New York and began producing its first favrile glass objects 1896, examples of which can be found in the Victoria and Albert Museum collection as well as other major museums, particularly in America.
Favrile glass objects produced by the Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company between 1896 and 1902 (Image: © Victoria and Albert Museum, London).
Left: “The Flight of Souls”, Tiffany stained glass window which won first prize at the 1900 Paris Exposition, now at the Wade Memorial Chapel, Cleveland, Ohio (Image: CoffeeDoc03); Right: Hanging Head Dragonfly Tiffany lamp from the Art Institute of Chicago collection (Image: mark6mauno).
Tiffany won first prize for the above stained-glass window using his new material at the 1900 Paris Exposition and continued to use favrile for other products, including his famous lamps. Being the innovator that he was, he also carried on experimenting with the medium, eventually developing many other, equally impressive, types of glass such as opalescent, streamer, fracture, ring-mottle, ripple and drapery. But that’s for another time!
[1] Bing, S Louis C. Tiffany’s Coloured Glass Work, in Artistic America, Tiffany glass and Art Nouveau, Cambridge (Mass.); London: M.I.T. Press, 1970
[2] The original trade name was actually fabrile, which was derived from an Old English word meaning ‘handcrafted’.
Filed under Anna Pokorska, Colour, Materials & Objects, Museum Collections
Tags: colour, glass, iridescence, Petrie Museum
As a specialist in art history and materials science, particularly focusing on the evolution of glasswork and the phenomenon of iridescence, I can provide a comprehensive overview of the concepts embedded in the article on iridescence, ancient glass, and Louis Comfort Tiffany's innovations.
The article delves into the intriguing world of iridescence seen in ancient glass artifacts and Louis Comfort Tiffany's pivotal role in replicating this effect in the late 19th century. It primarily touches upon the following key concepts:
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Iridescence in Ancient Glass:
- Discusses the unintentional creation of iridescence in ancient glass due to weathering processes from burial.
- Attributes the iridescent effect to the interaction between buried glass, soluble salts, acidic water in the soil, and specific burial conditions (heat, humidity, and soil type).
- Highlights how the leaching of alkalis creates fine layers on the glass surface, resulting in a prism-like effect that gives rise to iridescence.
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Louis Comfort Tiffany's Contributions:
- Details Tiffany's transformation of stained glasswork, drawing inspiration from ancient glass and mosaics.
- Chronicles his departure from painting to embrace interior decoration and his subsequent innovation in glasswork.
- Introduces Tiffany's patented favrile glass, a groundbreaking material where the iridescence was integrated within the glass itself by manipulating color mixtures in the hot glass blend.
- Traces the establishment of the Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company in 1892 and the production of favrile glass objects from 1896 onwards.
- Showcases examples of Tiffany's renowned stained glass windows, such as "The Flight of Souls," and his iconic dragonfly lamp.
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Development of Various Glass Types:
- Mentions Tiffany's ongoing experimentation and development of different glass types beyond favrile, including opalescent, streamer, fracture, ring-mottle, ripple, and drapery glasses.
- Teases at the possibility of further exploration into these glass types in subsequent discussions.
The article references primary sources such as Louis C. Tiffany's Coloured Glass Work by S. Bing and publications reflecting the historical context and evolution of glasswork.
My expertise in this domain extends to examining the chemical and physical aspects of ancient glass and its weathering, as well as the artistic and technical innovations of Louis Comfort Tiffany, marking a convergence of art, history, and materials science in the evolution of glass artistry and iridescence.
