Four designs for a skylight

Various artists/makers

Not on view

Tiffany’s windows are often densely composed, flush with architectural details or imagery from the natural world. The sparse composition of these watercolor sketches suggests that they may have been intended as panels for a skylight, a theory supported by several still in existence today. Fruit, vines, or climbing flowers on a trellis was a design motif commonly used by Tiffany and could be readily adapted to fit the nature of the commission. The purple clematis, for example, was frequently depicted in such trellis designs for windows and skylights as well as leaded-glass shades and other works. It is also a flower associated with the old-fashioned cottage garden, which was closely aligned with the nation’s Colonial Revival cultural phenomenon.

Four designs for a skylight, Louis C. Tiffany (American, New York 1848–1933 New York), Watercolor, gouache and graphite on wove paper [original presentation matt missing], American

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Four designs for a skylight, Louis C. Tiffany (American, New York 1848–1933 New York), Watercolor, gouache and graphite on wove paper [original presentation matt missing], American
Four designs for a skylight, Louis C. Tiffany (American, New York 1848–1933 New York), Watercolor, gouache and graphite on wove paper [original presentation matt missing], American

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