Three Ceiling Mosaics

These three framed panels exemplify the glass mosaics that the Tiffany firm created for ceilings. The designs are geometric with stylized fleur-de-lis. The selected colors and types of glass give the mosaics a stunning appearance. They sparkle like brilliant jewels.

Tiffany formed the shape of these panels using pressed fabric; he then inserted the glass tiles. These panels are the only known mosaic panels in which Tiffany used this technique, making them unique.
There are, however, similarities in the design of these mosaics and two other ceilings done by Tiffany: one in the White House East Room (1882) and the other in the library of pharmaceutical millionaire George Kemp’s New York mansion (1879). But both of those ceilings were created in different materials and colors. The East Room ceiling was created using silver leaf, and the Kemp ceiling was created in iridescent shells.

Experts attribute these panels to the early work of the Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company, which operated between 1892 and 1900. It exhibited a Byzantine-inspired chapel at the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893. The award-winning display created an international sensation. The chapel included ecclesiastical goods ranging from furnishings to mosaics to leaded glass windows. The mosaics were especially magnificent. Tiffany was as innovative in creating mosaics as he was in his other artistic endeavors.