A circa 1910-1915 Tiffany Studios peacock window estimated to bring between $200,000 and $300,000 in Christie's June 10 auction of Tiffany Masterworks from the Garden Museum. Photo: Courtesy of Christie's
It’s nearly impossible to distill Louis Comfort Tiffany’s career down to just a few milestones. While most notably associated with the painterly stained glass windows that decorate churches and museums around the world, as well as the jewel-like works housed in major institutions, his creativity spanned numerous mediums.
In the 1990s, collector Takeo Horiuchi began acquiring examples of Tiffany’s craftsmanship and within 15 years had compiled a remarkable cache that included windows, lamps, works on paper, and furniture.
On June 10, 44 pieces from Horiuchi’s privately held Garden Museum Collection, will be auctioned in a live sale from Christie’s Rockefeller Center headquarters.
Tiffany Studios workbench and tools estimated to achieve between $50,000 and $70,000 in a June 10 live auction at Christie's. Photo: Courtesy of Christie's
“The Garden Museum is one of the greatest and most legendary collections of Tiffany to come to the market in recent years,” Daphné Riou, Head of Christie’s Design Department, said in a statement. “Ranging from masterworks such as the Wisteria window from Laurelton Hall, the only panel from this transom remaining in private hands, or the spectacular Hanging Head Dragonfly chandelier in blue rippled glass, to furniture, enamels, paintings, and workshop tools, the collection spans much of Tiffany’s history and artistic development. Christie’s is deeply honored to present this collection at auction.”
Below, a look at some of the most exciting pieces featured in the June 10 “Tiffany Masterworks from the Garden Museum: A Private Collection” live sale.
This early and rare Tiffany Studios Dragonfly and Waterflowers table lamp carries a presale estimate of $350,000 to $500,000. Photo: Courtesy of Christie's
“Before it was acquired by Takeo Horiuchi for the Garden Museum, this spectacular ‘Dragonfly and Waterflowers’ lamp was in the collection of Barbra Streisand,” details Riou. “The dragonfly is one of the earliest recorded lampshades by Tiffany Studios, and even more remarkable on this superb ‘Dragonfly’ base in mosaic Favrile glass. It was designed by Clara Driscoll, the head of the Women’s Cutting Glass department at Tiffany Studios, and is a splendid example of Tiffany’s creative development at the turn of the century.”
A circa 1903 Tiffany Studios rare ‘Elaborate Grape’ table lamp estimated to bring between $300,000 and $500,000 in Christie's June 10 auction of Tiffany Masterworks from the Garden Museum. Photo: Courtesy of Christie's
“The Garden Museum is one of the greatest and most legendary collections of Tiffany to come to the market in recent years”
Daphné Riou, Head of Christie’s Design Department
A rare circa 1905 yellow rose floor lamp by Tiffany Studios that carries a presale estimate of $600,000 and $800,000. Photo: Courtesy of Christie's
“This exceptional ‘Yellow Rose’ floor lamp is one of only two known examples of this model,” Riou tells Galerie. “The extraordinarily intricate composition features an abundance of rambling roses in shades of orange, gold, and pale yellow imposed against a changing sky in delicate tones of pink and blue. When viewed in person, this shade is absolutely stunning and epitomizes Tiffany Studios’s artistry at its peak.”
Roccabrunna (1874) by Louis Comfort Tiffany. Photo: Courtesy of Christie's
Circa 1911 Tiffany & Company vase estimated to bring between $40,000 and $60,000 in Christie's June 10 auction of Tiffany Masterworks from the Garden Museum. Photo: Courtesy of Christie's
Circa 1905 Wisteria transom window from the dining room of Louis Comfort Tiffany's Long Island estate, Laurelton Hall, is estimated to achieve between $700,000 and $1 million in a June 10 live auction at Christie's. Photo: Courtesy of Christie's
“The ‘Wisteria’ Transom Window from Laurelton Hall coming to market is a historical event,” says Riou. “It is the only privately owned window of the seven created for Tiffany’s own dining room—the other six being in the permanent collection of the Morse Museum of American Art in Winter Park, Florida. The cascading flowers replicate the blossoming wisteria vines that grew in the gardens of Laurelton Hall, bringing nature, Tiffany’s endless source of inspiration, to an intimate indoor setting.”
Also included in Christie's June 10 auction of Tiffany Masterworks from the Garden Museum is this 1881 desk that carries a presale estimate of $40,000 to $60,000. Photo: Courtesy of Christie's
This circa 1905 important and rare Hanging Head Dragonfly chandelier is estimated to bring between $600,000 and $800,000 in Christie's June 10 auction of Tiffany Masterworks from the Garden Museum. Photo: Courtesy of Christie's
