Bookcover
c. 1910
Medium
Silk, plain weave; batik dyed
Dimensions
53.5 × 23.4 cm (21 1/8 × 9 1/4 in.)
Classification
textile
Department
Textiles
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
59955
Art Historical Context
Created around 1910 by Louis Comfort Tiffany, this elegant silk bookcover exemplifies the artist’s wide-ranging curiosity beyond his celebrated work in glass and lighting. Best known as a leading figure of the Art Nouveau movement, Tiffany frequently experimented with diverse materials and techniques, here turning his attention to textiles. The piece employs a plain-weave silk ground decorated through the ancient batik process—a wax-resist dyeing method that produces soft, fluid patterns prized for their organic beauty. Measuring just over twenty-one inches in length, the cover was designed t...