Tiffany is best known for his work in stained glass, particularly
with the Tiffany Lamps and worked in glass making and designing mostly in the
late 1800s. He pursued a very different outlook to glass work than many of the
other glass makers of the time, leaving mineral impurities in the glass. Using
opalescent glass in a variety of colours, created a new and unique style of
stained glass that changed the way many saw this art form. Tiffany was
influenced by his father’s jewellery business and medieval glass works and
combined these two inspirations into his own glass works. It is immediately apparent
why Tiffany Lamps became so popular, showcasing technically good glass work in
very different style than traditional, medieval stained glass. The Tiffany
Lamps link to my work as through my personal study I have looked at the overlap
of natural and man made and Tiffany illustrates this by using such a man made of
the lamps to present a delicately detailed depiction of nature in stained
glass.
