Hair Ornament

This hair ornament is one of the most remarkable works by Louis C. Tiffany, an artist who worked in virtually every media and is especially known for his leaded-glass windows and floral lampshades.　Tiffany embarked on the design and fabrication of artistic jewelry just after the turn of the century and debuted it at the Pan-American Exposition in St. Louis in 1904. His earliest works are extraordinary evocations of nature, the artist’s muse throughout his long and productive career. Here, capturing　an ephemeral moment,　two dragonflies　alight　on dandelion seed　balls,　one of which is partially blown away. Tiffany found beauty in one of the most common plants,　seen　not at the height of bloom but in a natural fading state, just before the seeds are　scattered. The dragonflies feature shimmering black opals along their backs and　dazzling pink opals as the heads, their coloristic properties evoking Tiffany’s famed iridescent glass. Their　delicate,　gossamer-like filigree wings　were likely intended to have slight movement—en　tremblant—when the wearer turned her head. The hair ornament was originally owned by and descended in the family of　Louisine　Havemeyer,　one of Tiffany's most ardent patrons and　a noted　avant-garde collector of modern French painting.