Tiffany Studios Paperweight

Signed: 7479N  L.C. Tiffany Favrile

Height: 6 1/2 inches

Width: 4 1/4 inches

Condition: Mint

A beautiful example of Tiffany's paperweight glass, the technique that represents some of the most technically demanding blown glass ever produced at the Corona glasshouse.

This vase features bold red floral forms and green leaves suspended within the walls of the glass itself, visible through the warm gold iridescent surface. Dark trailing vines wind across and through the composition, connecting the flowers and foliage in a naturalistic arrangement that wraps the entire body of the piece. The decoration is not painted or applied to the surface — it is built up internally, layer by layer, with each element picked up on the molten glass gather and then encased under additional layers of clear and colored glass. The result is a three-dimensional garden captured permanently within the walls of the vase.

The form is a classic ovoid body with a short neck and gently flared rim finished in gold. The proportions are compact and satisfying, at six and a half inches tall, this is a piece meant to be held, turned, and examined from every angle. Each rotation reveals a different view of the internal composition.

The gold iridescent glows warmly and allows the internal decoration to read clearly through the glass. The base shows a rich amber iridescence and bears the engraved signature "L.C. Tiffany Favrile 7479N." The "N" suffix dates this piece to 1919.

"Paperweight glass was among the most labor-intensive and technically difficult work produced at the Corona furnaces. Each piece required multiple gathers, multiple reheats, and absolute precision in building up the internal decoration, any mistake at any stage meant starting over. Koch described this type of glass as being called "paperweight" because the use of internal canes and decoration is similar to the technique traditional in the making of millefiori paperweights. These pieces were produced in very limited numbers due to the extraordinary skill and time required.