This large sample panel would have been one of several hanging in the Mosaic Showroom at Tiffany Studios, where prospective clients could see a sampling of available options for colors, textures and designs.
When Tiffany Studios closed in the early 1930s, following the death of Louis Comfort Tiffany, the contents of the workrooms and showrooms were sold off in a series of liquidation sales - including panels like this, which were never intended by Tiffany’s artists for sale.
In some ways resembling an antique relic, this plaster panel features a number of decorative borders in both Tiffany Glass in addition to the rare inclusion of abalone shell or mother of pearl, a naturally iridescent material much favored by Louis Comfort Tiffany in his design work.
Borders related to those seen on this panel can be found in several extant Tiffany Mosaics, including a monumental fireplace once in the Manager’s Office of the Citizens Savings and Trust Company in Cleveland, Ohio as well as the Chicago Public Library (now the Chicago Cultural Center).
18” high x 54” wide
Exhibited:
Tiffany's Glass Mosaics, Jointly organized by The Corning Museum of Glass and the Neustadt Collection of Tiffany Glass, The Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NY, May 20, 2017 to January 7, 2018
Illustrated:
Kelly A. Conway and Lindsy R. Parrott, Tiffany’s Glass Mosaics, p.84 fig 3.11