DECOR : Piecing Together Tiffany’s Desk Sets

In Louis C. Tiffany’s view, ugliness had no place in the world. He believed that everyone should be surrounded by beauty, that even utilitarian things should be pleasing to the eye.

Although Tiffany may be best remembered for his lamps and lampshades, his philosophy is most evident in the desk sets produced by the Tiffany companies.

Indeed, these small objects that dutifully open letters, organize papers, hold pens and stamps and supplies of ink and glue, and anchor blotter pads appear as elegant sculptures.

The Tiffany companies produced matched desk sets in 20 diverse patterns during the first two decades of this century.

“Tiffany’s patterns ranged from simple to sophisticated, but were always works of art,” says Louis Luther, department director of 20th-Century design for Skinner Inc., of Boston and Bolton, Mass., auctioneers of antiques and fine art.

“His designs were frequently curvilinear. Some borrowed from Art Nouveau, others reflected the angularity of the Arts and Crafts movement, and still others had personalities completely their own.”

Tiffany’s desk pieces were sold separately and could be purchased piece by piece, with the owner building a set over a period of time. Crafted of bronze or copper sheets or castings, the pieces were produced in gilded, green and brown finishes.

Each pattern offered blotter ends, an inkstand, a pen tray, a paper rack, a paper knife, a stamp or utility box and a calendar. Some patterns also included items like rocker blotters, memo pad holders, picture frames, clocks, scissors, planters, lamps, inkstands and letter racks in many different shapes and sizes.

Despite Tiffany’s desire to produce beautiful objects for the homes of all Americans, the truth is his works were purchased mainly by the well-to-do.

Until 1918, Tiffany’s desk items were available only through Tiffany Studios and Tiffany & Co. in New York City, exclusive department stores in Chicago, Dallas and San Francisco, the Salon de l’Art Nouveau in Paris and by special order.

Later, when Tiffany Furnaces was organized in 1919, desk pieces in a single enameled pattern were distributed by wholesalers, retailers and anyone who wanted to carry the line.

According to George Kemeny, a collector who curated an exhibit of Tiffany desk pieces at the University of Pittsburgh in 1990, all of Tiffany’s metalwork was intended to be signed and, after about 1902, numbered.

Tiffany desk pieces may bear two signatures: Tiffany Glass & Decorating Co. and Tiffany Studios. After 1902, the Tiffany Studios mark was used exclusively. Enameled pieces produced after 1919 bear the signature “Tiffany Furnaces.”

Some Tiffany items did slip through unmarked and can be confused with some unmarked knockoffs, common in the Etched Metal and Glass, Bookmark and American Indian patterns.

Some elements of Tiffany desk sets, such as an ash tray, can be purchased for as little as $100, says Kemeny, but prices can go as high as several thousand dollars. Picture frames in particular can cost as much as $5,000 since they are in such demand.

“A good rule of thumb is that you could furnish your desk with five or six pieces for about $1,500,” Kemeny advises.

The value of an item is determined largely by the piece and pattern, not by the wear or lack of it. Lack of wear may add 20% to the price of a piece in superb condition. You can expect to find indications of wear on parts exposed to friction, which will appear darker.

Avoid obvious damage, soldering repair and regilded pieces. One way of identifying a regilded piece is to look for scratch marks or indications of wear that show beneath the new gilding.

You’ll find Tiffany’s artful desk tools at antiques shows and through antiques dealers and auctioneers who specialize in items produced during the Arts and Crafts movement.