Private Collection, New York
Sotheby's New York, December 2, 2000, lot 582
Macklowe Gallery, New York
Private Collection, Europe
Sotheby's New York, June 13, 2012, lot 5
Acquired from the above by the present owner

Robert Koch, Louis C. Tiffany: The Collected Works of Robert Koch, Atglen, PA, 2001, pp. 140 and 202 (for related examples)
Alastair Duncan, Louis C. Tiffany: The Garden Museum Collection, Woodbridge, Suffolk, 2004, p. 250 (for a related example)
Paul Doros, The Art Glass of Louis Comfort Tiffany, New York, 2013, p. 123 (for a related example)

Overall very good condition. When viewed in person the bowl displays with rich hues of indigo and navy with richly iridized decoration. The exterior surfaces are wonderfully irregular and tactile showing some occasional surface irregularities and scattered minor open air bubbles, all inherent in the making and Lava technique. The exterior top rim with a few expected short and shallow vertical tool marks inherent in the making and not visually detractive. The interior bottom surfaces of the bowl with some light and fine surface scratches and rubbing consistent with age and gentle use. The exterior and underbase with a few occasional light and fine surface scratches. The interior of the bowl is intensely iridized, displaying strong color and luminosity, which creates a striking visual contrast to the exterior. An exceptionally bold and artistic example displaying a strongly varied abstract composition when viewed in the round, tactile dimensionality to the Lava decoration, and rich luminous color.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The blown glass objects produced by Tiffany Studios were internationally acclaimed for their forms based on nature and the use of vividly colored glass that ran the full gamut of the spectrum. The firm’s Lava vases were a rare and exciting anomaly. Apparently produced only in 1906-1907 and again around 1916, it was originally theorized that the motif was inspired by Louis Tiffany’s observation of Mt. Aetna erupting during one of his many European trips. That story, however, has been proven to be apocryphal. A far more likely design source can be found in Tiffany’s love of Japanese art, which had a significant influence on his aesthetics. He was a serious collector of Asian decorative arts, including ceramics, and Lava vases are Tiffany’s fairly obvious attempt to emulate, in glass, seventeenth-century Japanese raku-fired ceramic tea bowls.

The present lot is one of the finest examples ever produced by the company. It superbly features all the elements that make Lava vases so desirable: an asymmetrical, dimpled body with an uneven, slightly undulating rim and a multi-hued iridescence; a navy/cobalt overlay, with a texture like weathered leather, interspersed with irregular patches exposing the transparent yellow ground; and iridescent gold threading of varying dimensions dripped around the body, interrupted by large, floral-like applications in high relief of the same glass. The bright gold interior iridescence serves as a distinct counterpoint to the dark blue exterior.

The extreme rarity of Lava vases is due to the incredible technical difficulties involved in making a multi-layered object of different glasses with the additional complication of thick, applied sections. It is also highly likely that they were too artistically adventurous for most early twentieth century collectors.  One hundred years later, Lava vases are considered by many to best epitomize the creative supremacy of Tiffany’s blown Favrile glass.

PAUL DOROS, former curator of glass at the Chrysler Museum (Norfolk, Virginia) and author of The Art Glass of Louis Comfort Tiffany (New York: Vendome Press), 2013