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Front door to the Henry O. Havemeyer house, New York

Louis Comfort Tiffany1890/1891

University of Michigan Museum of Art

University of Michigan Museum of Art
Ann Arbor, United States

  • Title: Front door to the Henry O. Havemeyer house, New York
  • Creator: Louis Comfort Tiffany
  • Creator Lifespan: 1848/1933
  • Creator Nationality: American
  • Creator Gender: Male
  • Creator Death Place: New York, New York
  • Creator Birth Place: New York, New York
  • Date Created: 1890/1891
  • Location: New York State
  • Physical Dimensions: w91.44 x h254 mm (work)
  • Label Copy: The exterior of the Havemeyer's house, designed by Charles Haight in 1889, was a sober stone building that recalled the heavy, medieval-inspired works of Henry Hobson Richardson. The copper-clad exterior of the front doors similarly present a restrained face. The simple design, with glass panels that evoke coffered stone or wood paneling, recalls elements of classical architecture while harmonizing with the exterior stone. The house's exterior left the visitor completely unprepared for the sumptuous interior hidden within. The interior of the doors themselves presents an aspect that is lighter: the honey-colored wood is inset with a rich filigree of lead caming and warm-colored stones in addition to a second layer of glass panels. Tiffany had been incorporating stones and other "found" materials into his works since early in his career and it has been suggested that Mrs. Havemeyer herself presented the stones to Tiffany and asked him to incorporate them into the doors. Although it is not known who actually supplied the stones for the doors, this anecdote suggests the close relationship and parallel thinking that linked the patron and artist.
  • Type: Decorative Arts
  • External Link: http://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1986.146.3a/1986.146.3A.JPG?lasttype=boolean;lastview=thumbnail;resnum=1;sel9=ic_exact;size=20;sort=relevance;start=1;subview=detail;view=entry;rgn1=musart_an;select1=starts;q1=1986.146.3A
  • Medium: wood, copper, stone and favrile glass
University of Michigan Museum of Art

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