This rare Cabinet Vase is part of a small series of impressionistically decorated enamel-on-copper vases of similar form produced in Tiffany Studios' specialized Enamel and Pottery Department around the turn of the 20th century. These vases, typically of footed ovoid form with a gold rim, were decorated with a painterly depiction in vitreous enamel of a floral motif.
This example depicts an asymmetrical cluster of nasturtium flowers and leaves, the blossoms in vibrant variegated red-orange, surrounded by the thin coiling vines and round veined leaves in green enamel, all against a silvery-gold background. The enamel used throughout the decoration and background is transparent, allowing the lustrous metallic surface beneath to shine through.
A pincushion with related enamel on copper decoration of nasturtium flowers and foliage was part of Louis Comfort Tiffany’s personal collection; it is now in the collection of the Chrysler Museum (71.2687).
Height: 3 inches (7.6 cm)
Reference:
Janet Zapata, The Jewelry and Enamels of Louis Comfort Tiffany, New York 1993, pp. 62-65. Related example illustrated p. 64