The Reader

ca. 1897

Sculptural “drapery” glass and dense “foliage” glass are used to great effect in The Reader window.  Carefully selected creases and folds in “drapery” glass create the young woman’s pleated bodice and billowing sleeves. Within the thick folds color is deep and nearly opaque, while the flat areas between the folds are more translucent and lighter in color. This is especially noticeable in her sleeve. Vitreous paint is used to create the realism of her hands and facial expression. The figure is set against a background of “foliage” glass, composed of thin, multicolored glass fragments that are haphazardly embedded in a sheet, suggesting a dense thicket of leaves and branches.

Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company, New York (1892-1902)
Based on La Liseuse, a painting by Jules-Joseph Lefebvre (French, 1836-1911), exhibited at the 1889 Salon in Paris
Leaded glass
Height 28 in.; Width 29 in.
Marked: Copyright 1897 / Tiffany Glass & Decorating Co. / New York
N.86.W.01

Photo: David Schlegel