Tiffany Studios New York Lacquered Bronze "Volcano" Humidor

$15,000
This lacquered bronze “Volcano” humidor by Tiffany Studios New York features a dramatic design of a submarine volcano surrounded by sea urchins, created by Munich artist Ludwig Vierthaler during his time with Tiffany in the late 1890s. After training at Tiffany & Co. and Tiffany Studios in New York, Vierthaler returned to Germany, where he emerged as a central figure in the Munich Secession. Profoundly influenced by German marine biologist Ernst Haeckel—whose Kunstformen der Natur (1899) helped shape the visual language of Art Nouveau—Vierthaler integrated organic motifs into the humidor’s design, notably the radial grooves and textured surfaces reminiscent of sea urchin shells depicted in Haeckel’s illustrations. The interior of the box is lined with Spanish cedar, a wood prized for its ability to maintain ideal humidity and temperature for cigar storage. Renowned for absorbing and releasing moisture as needed, Spanish cedar helps prevent cigars from becoming too dry or overly moist, while also acting as a natural insect repellent and imparting a pleasant, distinctive aroma.
Category: Gifts $10,000 - $20,000 Metalwork New Acquisitions Tiffany Objects Tiffany Studios New York
Product Details

Item #: T-21835
Artist: Tiffany Studios New York
Country: United States of America
Circa: 1900
Dimensions: 2.75" height, 9" width, 5.75" depth.
Materials: Gilt Bronze, Felt
Signed: TIFFANY STUDIOS NEW YORK 11432
Literature: Similar humidors pictured in Tiffany Lamps and Metalware: An illustrated reference to over 2000 models, by Alastair Duncan, Woodbridge: Suffolk: Antique Collectors' Club, 1988, p. 450, plate 1793; Similar humidor pictured in Louis Comfort Tiffany at Tiffany & Co., by John Loring, New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 2002, p. 238; Similar humidor also pictured in Louis Comfort Tiffany: Treasures from the Driehaus Collection, by David A. Hanks, Richard H. Driehaus, Richard H. Driehaus Museum, The Monacelli Press, LLC, 2013, p. 164 fig. 55

Item #: T-21835
Artist: Tiffany Studios New York
Country: United States of America
Circa: 1900
Dimensions: 2.75" height, 9" width, 5.75" depth.
Materials: Gilt Bronze, Felt
Signed: TIFFANY STUDIOS NEW YORK 11432
Literature: Similar humidors pictured in Tiffany Lamps and Metalware: An illustrated reference to over 2000 models, by Alastair Duncan, Woodbridge: Suffolk: Antique Collectors' Club, 1988, p. 450, plate 1793; Similar humidor pictured in Louis Comfort Tiffany at Tiffany & Co., by John Loring, New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 2002, p. 238; Similar humidor also pictured in Louis Comfort Tiffany: Treasures from the Driehaus Collection, by David A. Hanks, Richard H. Driehaus, Richard H. Driehaus Museum, The Monacelli Press, LLC, 2013, p. 164 fig. 55

Curator's Notes
An identical humidor belongs to the collection of Edgar Kauffman, Jr., at Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater. Fallingwater was home to an exclusively Japanese and Japonisme collection, and Kauffman chose the humidor specifically for its Japanese-inspired metalwork and design.
An identical humidor belongs to the collection of Edgar Kauffman, Jr., at Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater. Fallingwater was home to an exclusively Japanese and Japonisme collection, and Kauffman chose the humidor specifically for its Japanese-inspired metalwork and design.
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