Box

About this artwork

Research in Progress

Art Historical Context

Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848–1933), a pioneering American artist and designer, created this elegant "Box" around 1910–1920, a period when his Tiffany Studios flourished in producing luxurious decorative glass objects. Renowned for leading the Art Nouveau movement in United States, Tiffany revolutionized glassmaking with his innovative favrile technique—a process yielding iridescent,-like surfaces that mimicked ancient Roman glass. Classified asware in the Smithsonian American Art Museum collection, this piece exemplifies his commitment to blending with craftsmanship, transforming everyday functional items into opulent treasures. Though the exact medium awaits further research, Tiffany's boxes were often crafted from layered, hand-blown glass, sometimes incorporating enamel or gold accents for a shimmering effect. These objects graced the homes of affluent Americans, symbolizing the Gilded Age's opulence and the era's fascination with exotic beauty. Gifted by Mrs. Eric Larrabee, it highlights Tiffany's enduring legacy in American decorative arts. Visitors to the Smithsonian will appreciate how this "Box" captures the luminous magic of Tiffany's vision—where light dances through glass, evoking nature's splendor in a compact form. Ongoing research promises to reveal even more about its creation.