At the Winter Antiques Show in New York this weekend, I ran across this chair at the Hirschl&Adler Gallery booth.  

Made by Louis Comfort Tiffany (yes, the same guy who did all of those wonderful lamps) sometime around 1891-93, it is a sidechair, and H&A has a table that is also similar.

So I did a bit of research and found a related upholstered chair in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in gallery 743 that has the inlay of glass micro mosaic diamonds as part of the design.  While he is not generally known for his furniture, he made several pieces for the Havermeyers in New York city, and the sidechairs look like they are very close relatives.  The completely carved crestrail, and the detail in that carving, both caught my eye and made me wonder about this remarkable person who was able to collaborate with carvers, glass artists, and furniture makers to create something quite wonderful.

Collaborating with other makers is something I like to do whenever I get the chance.  The ability to bounce ideas off of other people with intimate knowledge of a specific project, is immensely helpful when the design grows and morphs in the commissioning process.

Here’s to collaboration.  Contact me when you are thinking about a new piece of furniture, and we can work on ideas, materials and construction together.

-Richard

p.s.-And of course I have to give you the link to the upholstered version at the Met.