The Danner Memorial Window shattered a Tiffany Studios auction record during Sotheby’s Modern Evening Auction in New York this week. The masterpiece by Louis Comfort Tiffany and Agnes Northrop achieved over three times the previous auction record for a Tiffany Studios piece as bidders drove the price up to $12.48 million.
Created at the peak of Louis Comfort Tiffany and Agnes Northrop’s careers, this spectacular landscape window
Jodi Pollack, Sotheby’s Chairman and Co-Worldwide Head of 20th Century Design
epitomizes Tiffany’s unrivaled artistry.
The Danner Memorial Window was designed in 1913 as a tribute to John and Terressa Danner of Canton, Ohio. It features intricate glasswork depicting fruit-laden trees arching over a winding river at sunset. Northrop, one of Tiffany Studios’ leading female designers, used her signature naturalistic style, blending vivid colors and meticulous details that capture the beauty of light and shadow.1 Sotheby’s described the work as “a luminous landscape that invites the viewer to pause and contemplate the harmony between art, nature, and memory.”
“This record-breaking sale of the Danner Memorial Window celebrates not only a Tiffany masterpiece but a landmark moment for the Tiffany market,” said Jodi Pollack, Sotheby’s Chairman and Co-Worldwide Head of 20th Century Design. Pollack added that this was the first time a Tiffany Studios piece was highlighted in a marquee evening auction, “firmly establishing Tiffany within the pantheon of the most iconic artists of the twentieth century.”
The bidding for the window was intense, with three participants vying for the piece over a six-and-a-half minute span. The sale ultimately went to a telephone bidder represented by Cassandra Hatton, Sotheby’s Global Head of Science & Pop Culture.
The antique world is hailing the auction result as a milestone for Tiffany Studios and a testament to the enduring appeal of American decorative arts. The Modern Evening Auction also featured significant works by artists like Pablo Picasso and Leonora Carrington, with total sales reaching upwards of $92.9 million, which fell flat from its initial $92.3-$135 million estimate.
Sources
- “Celebrating Agnes Northrop.” Bowne House. ↩︎
