Peacock (decorative glass)

In 1898, the Director of the Museum of Applied Arts, Jenő Radisics (1856–1917) held an international exhibition entitled The Modern Art to present new developments in the contemporary art of the time. It included fifty items by Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848–1933). Prior to the Budapest exhibition, Tiffany had shown his art glass in Vienna. Siegfried Bing (1838–1905) – Tiffany’s sole distributor in Europe – wanted to avoid the embarrassment of an exhibition in Budapest featuring only pieces that Vienna customers did not want. He therefore added pieces of equivalent standard from his Paris shop La Maison de l’Art Nouveau to the Budapest exhibits. Tiffany was thus represented by a diverse set of top-quality glassware. The catalogue stated that several pieces were actually made for the exhibition. The Peacock vase was one of several other Tiffany items which the Museum of Applied Arts actually purchased. The vase displays the true shimmering blue and green tones of the bird’s feathers. The aventurine filaments placed on the blown cobalt blue base when it was still hot melted into the glass upon further heating, giving the effect of sweeping brushstrokes. The production process responsible for the Peacock vase was developed by George J. Cook, under Tiffany’s personal supervision. In an article published in 1898, Siegfried Bing wrote that Tiffany was so captivated by the peacock-feather motif that he conducted experiments for a whole year in search of a way of emulating the iridescent beauty of that magnificent bird’s plumage. His efforts gave rise to a great many Peacock vases, no two of which are alike. On the Budapest piece, the combination of refined precision with nonchalant vigour attests to virtuosity of the technique applied with a sure touch, and betrays no sign of experimental uncertainty. The vase is the embodiment of technical perfection and artistic refinement.