Tiffany Studios

The Estate of Aaron Frank

Sotheby Parke-Bernet, New York, March 29, 1979, lot 40

Edwin and Mary Triestman, New York

Sotheby's New York, The Edwin & Mary Triestman Collection of Important Glass, June 14, 2006, lot 303

Acquired from the above by the present owner

Albert Christian Revi, American Art Nouveau Glass, Camden, 1968, p. 13 (for a related example)

Fourth century Roman glassmakers are generally credited with creating the first diatreta objects, the term being derived from the Greek for “perforated.” Also known as cage cups, perhaps the finest example is the British Museum’s Lycurgus Cup. The exact technique for creating a highly detailed carved outer cage attached by slender, short glass struts to the body of the vessel puzzled glassmakers and collectors for centuries. Louis Comfort Tiffany, as an advanced collector of ancient glass, was obviously aware of these rare and treasured creations. It is now believed that the ancient Romans used lapidary tools to create diatreta pieces. Tiffany’s glassworkers, however, had neither the knowledge, the time nor the expertise to replicate the exact technique. Their interpretation of the motif was accomplished by forming a diamond-shaped latticework and then attaching it to the base and body of an object while still hot. These Favrile vases are exceptionally rare because of the great difficulty in attaching the latticework to the blown glass before the former collapsed. The example offered here is simple in appearance but its overall complexity is indicative of a master craftsman’s handiwork.

– PAUL DOROS