Portiere

Louis C. Tiffany|Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company

ca. 1890–1902 · Watercolor, gouache, and graphite on off-white wove paper mounted to a paper-faced board · The American Wing

This design for a portiere, or doorway curtain, features a deep blue ground enlivened with gold, red, and green Renaissance-style embroidery. While textiles were important elements of Tiffany's interior designs, they rarely survive intact, which makes such design drawings all the more important. Editorial remarks in graphite in the bottom margin, made by either Tiffany or the client, give a wonderful insight into how Tiffany's designs evolved from sketch to finished product: "Curtain ornament to be in center of bottom of portier and not in corner as shown."

Artist

Louis C. Tiffany|Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company

Date

ca. 1890–1902

Medium

Watercolor, gouache, and graphite on off-white wove paper mounted to a paper-faced board

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittesley Fund,1953