Brooch

Louis Comfort Tiffany, son of Charles L. Tiffany, the founder of Tiffany & Co., began his career as a painter, but he soon realized his true talents as a designer. In 1902 he founded Tiffany Studios and became one of the most creative and accomplished artists of the Art Nouveau era, best-known for his remarkable stained glass windows and lamps, blown favrile glass, enamelwork, and interior design. Following his father’s death in 1902, he began to experiment with jewelry, creating highly inventive necklaces, hair ornaments, and brooches. Eschewing precious gemstones such as diamonds, emeralds, or rubies, he selected humbler materials, including semi-precious stones chosen for their color and inherent beauty rather than for their intrinsic value. By combining these colored stones with enamels, he achieved artistic jewelry of extraordinary originality. Here, lively panels of scrollwork ornamented with purple and green enamel encase a large faceted amethyst. Tiffany’s imaginative jewelry designs pay homage to his favorite muse, Nature, as evident in the 27 examples he exhibited in 1904 at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, which were met with enthusiastic acclaim.