Lot 150, Auction 4/12/2026: Signed “Art Work of Louis C. Tiffany” Limited Ed. 1914

$4,875.00

In stock

Louis Comfort Tiffany (American, 1848-1933) & Charles de Kay (American, 1838-1945). “The Art Work of Louis C. Tiffany.” Garden City and New York: Doubleday, Page & Company, 1914. First and limited edition, number 205 of 502 issued; one of 492 on Japon vellum. Signed by Tiffany on first free endpaper. Illustrated with 20 mounted color plates and 42 photogravures, as called for in the List of Illustrations; each with captioned tissue guard. Originally gifted by Louis C. Tiffany to the Kansas City Public Library in Kansas City, Missouri as noted on the first free endpaper and the stamps from the library present on the upper section of the first three pages and the title page. A grand and self-assured survey of one of Americas most influential designers, this sumptuous volume was conceived as both documentation and declaration. Size: 10″ L x 2″ W x 12.75″ H (25.4 cm x 5.1 cm x 32.4 cm)

Issued at the height of Louis Comfort Tiffanys career, “The Art Work of Louis C. Tiffany” presents his achievements in stained glass, lamps, mosaics, metalwork, and interior decoration as a unified artistic vision, placing the decorative arts on equal footing with painting and sculpture. The result is a book that feels less like a catalogue and more like a manifesto bound in vellum.

This is a first and limited edition, number 205 of 502 copies issued, and one of 492 printed on Japon vellum, a paper selected for its warmth, softness, and ability to hold rich color. The volume is profusely illustrated, complete as issued with 20 mounted color plates and 42 photogravures, each accompanied by its original captioned tissue guard. The plates reproduce Tiffanys work with remarkable sensitivity, from luminous stained glass windows to intricate jewelry and enamels, offering a carefully orchestrated progression through his creative world.

The binding itself reinforces the sense of luxury and design coherence. The cover is deeply textured with a repeating grid pattern, subtly jewel-toned, and centered with a framed title panel, echoing the geometric order and decorative richness found throughout Tiffanys work. The physical presence of the book mirrors the ideals it promotes – craftsmanship, material beauty, and total design.

Of particular note is the volumes provenance. This copy was originally presented by Louis C. Tiffany to the Kansas City Public Library, as recorded in a signed inscription on the first free endpaper dated June 1916. Library stamps from the Kansas City Public Library appear on the upper portions of the first three pages and the title page, marking the book as an object intended not only for admiration but for public education and access. The signature transforms the volume from an impressive art book into a personal artifact, linking Tiffany directly to the institutions he believed should steward beauty for the wider public.

Published in 1914, the book captures Tiffany at a moment of remarkable confidence, just before shifting tastes and economic pressures began to dim the Art Nouveau glow. It stands as a record of his ambition to shape the modern American interior and to elevate glass and decorative design into a national artistic language. Lavish, authoritative, and unapologetically beautiful, this volume remains one of the most important printed testaments to Tiffanys legacy and to the golden age of American decorative arts.

Condition: Creasing to a few tissue guards, but, otherwise, book is intact and in excellent overall condition. Signed by Tiffany on first free endpaper. Stamped by Kansas City Public Library on the first three pages and the title page. Library “Ref. Special,” date, and collection number stamps in ink on copyright page. Accompanied by custom modern case.

Provenance: private London, UK collection, purchased at a Romanian antique shop; originally gifted by Louis C. Tiffany to the Kansas City Public Library in Kansas City, Missouri, USA in June 1916 (as noted on first free endpaper)

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A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all purchases.

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