Tulip vase

Louis Comfort Tiffany was one of America's most important designers at the turn of the century. The glass produced at his Corona Furnace on Long Island was especially famous. Besides being purchased in this country, Tiffany glass was also sold at L'Art Nouveau, the Paris shop of Siegfried Bing. This gallery not only gave the style its name but showcased the work of the finest art nouveau designers. Because of its rich colors, organic shapes, and sinuous decoration, Tiffany glass was considered among the best in the world.

Although the term was also used for metalwork and ceramics, Favrile is generally associated with the blown glass produced at Corona Furnace. First registered in 1894, the Favrile trade name was derived from the old English word "fabrile," meaning to belong to a craft. By using such a name, Tiffany associated his expensive glassware with the romantic image of glassblowers using hand techniques. While working in a glass works was hardly romantic, the Corona Furnace did employ numerous talented craftsmen. The chief blower and designer, Arthur Nash (American, b. England, 1849 - 1934), for example, was responsible in many ways for its international success.
Charles Venable, "Three Favrile vases," in Dallas Museum of Art: A Guide to the Collection, ed. Charles Venable (New Haven, NJ: Yale University Press, 1997), 241.