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Although Tiffany was not responsible for all the designs made for Tiffany Studios and did not actually make the glass produced in his workshops and studios, he closely supervised production. It was his overall approach to design - using sensuous and organic forms from nature in the Art Nouveau style - that dominated production. One of his most important assistants was Arthur J. Nash, whose technical skills, combined with Tiffany's chemical discoveries, accounted for much of the company's success. Nash played a very important role in the development of 'Favrile' glass, the company's famous range of iridescent glass (registered trademark name, 1894); the production process involved treating the hot glass with metallic oxides that were absorbed into the glass to produce a luxurious, nacreous surface. Favrile glass was used for a variety of objects, including vases (e.g. the vase with peacock feather decoration in Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York) and hanging- and table lamps in delicate shapes.
The shapes, colours, and finishes of Tiffany's vases and plaques were inspired by the natural world and the ancient glass. The present vase is decorated with the peacock feather.
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