Rivalry In Stained Glass

Stained glass had been around for thousands of years, starting as a luxury, which the rich and elite used to add decoration to their homes. Once the process became more of an art form available to all, churches began to use them to depict religious scenes and narratives as their windows. But during this time very talented artists were painting part of the color in the panels on.

In the late 1800s Louis Comfort Tiffany and John LaFarge began experimenting with getting color and visual effects without having to paint the glass. Despite the fact the resulting opalescent glass was copyrighted by LaFarge it became synonymous with Tiffany and bears his name to this day. What was already a friendly competition between the two artists heated up to become one of the most heated rivalries of all time.

Both LaFarge and Tiffany began experimenting at the same time with opalescent glass made into sheets for use in stained glass windows. Opalescent glass had not been used in this form before and it created a demand that both artists wanted to be in the center of. To both artists being the one behind this idea were more than just accolades for their artistic genius it was also the profits, which would come from commissioned work that went with it.

Since opalescent glass had not been made and used before in sheets LaFarge approached a manufacturer in Brooklyn to order these custom pieces. Though Tiffany did likewise soon afterwards it was LaFarge who filed for the patent first, once again followed closely by Tiffany. The difference between the patents though slight was significant. LaFarge's patent was for opalescent sheets and its use while the patent Tiffany filed was for the actual construction of stained glass windows.

Also during this time there was rumor of a proposed partnership but nothing ever came of this and there is no actual proof this occurred. This fueled the rivalry along with a exclusive contract Tiffany got with Louis Heidt to be the only artist to get the sheets of glass his factory produced. This meant Tiffany had all the opalescent glass sheets he needed and LaFarge could not get enough materials to fill his orders. There is some evidence at this point of a legal dispute but the records are sketchy and do not give much detail.

By this time more other artists were getting into creating stained glass panels and the two artists resorted to just minimal bickering back and forth on who actually was the first to get and use the idea to create these leaded glass windows. In the end time was on Tiffany's side and the younger artist was able to eventually overshadow the older one. By the turn of the century his studio was the largest around and so well known his success was secured.

To increase the income on his studio Tiffany also began making lamps, candlesticks, and more using his now famous Tiffany stained glass. These stained glass panels and Tiffany lamps helped Louis Comfort Tiffany become a household name that is even today associated with the finest colored glass products.

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