Design for skylight
One of the earliest in the Museum’s collection, this skylight design was intended for the Gramercy Park townhouse of James Harper, a publisher and the sixty-fifth mayor of New York. The domed, oval shape would have likely topped the grand interior stair hall, drawing light into a multistory space. The two views of the skylight provided by the designer, and approved by Alvan C. Nye, architect at Tiffany Glass Company, demonstrate how the design and pattern of opalescent glass were essential to its function. Eight curved leaded-glass panels divided by thick support bars emanate from a central point anchored by a small piece of three-dimensional glass cast in an iron mold. The concentric ovals of leading tracing down from the central point of the edge would have been essential to support its weight and domed shape.
Artwork Details
- Title: Design for skylight
- Artist: Louis C. Tiffany (American, New York 1848–1933 New York)
- Maker: Tiffany Glass Company (1885–92)
- Date: 1885-1892
- Geography: Made in New York, United States
- Culture: American
- Medium: Transparent watercolor and graphite on paper mounted on board
- Dimensions: 14 in. × 10 7/8 in. (35.6 × 27.6 cm)
Mat: 19 1/4 × 14 1/4 in. (48.9 × 36.2 cm) - Credit Line: Purchase, Walter Hoving and Julia T. Weld Gifts and Dodge Fund, 1967
- Object Number: 67.654.431
- Curatorial Department: The American Wing
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