Favrile Glass Vase

Louis Comfort Tiffany and his chief glassmaker, Arthur Nash, coined the term, "Favrile," meaning "hand-wrought" to characterize Tiffany's innovative and sculptural glass objects. Stylistically, the organic, teardrop form of this vase demonstrates the influence of Art Nouveau on Tiffany's designs. The irregularity of the piece is also the result of Tiffany's craftsmen allowing free-flowing molten glass to suggest the work's final appearance during the blowing process. Arthur Nash created the jewel-like color of the vase using complex chemical formulas that he kept secret even from Tiffany himself. Tiffany became interested in creating one-of-a-kind blown glass pieces in 1892, and documentary evidence indicates that this example was crafted during that first year, making it one of Tiffany's earliest decorative glass objects.