Tiffany glass is among the most precious jewels of the decorative arts world, whether it’s in the form of an iridescent vase, a leaded lampshade, or, rarest of all at auctions, a monumental window. For the first time, Sotheby’s auction house is offering a Tiffany window in a fine art evening sale. The Danner Memorial Window, made for First Baptist Church in Canton, Ohio, in 1913, is set to sell at Sotheby’s Modern Evening Auction in New York on Nov. 18. With a presale estimate of $5,000,000 to $7,000,000, it is expected to break the record price for a Tiffany window, far surpassing the $1.9 million its owner Allen Gerry paid in 2000.
The window, commissioned in honor of John and Terressa Danner of Canton by their niece, Mrs. Annie M. McClymonds, is one of Tiffany Studios’ masterpieces, with vivid colors and detailed landscape. It was designed by Agnes Northrup, who started working for Tiffany Studios in the 1880s and is known for her window designs featuring flowers, gardens, and nature scenes. She was one of the many women, called “Tiffany Girls,” hired by Louis Comfort Tiffany to select and cut glass and create designs. In recent years, many Tiffany Girls, such as Clara Driscoll, have been recognized for their role in the studio’s work.
The auction comes at a time when Northrop is receiving more attention. Last year, the Metropolitan Museum of Art acquired a three-part Tiffany window, Garden Landscape, designed by Northrop for “Coal Queen” Sarah B. Cochran. The museum already has one of Northrop’s drawings for the design in their collection. In its own way, Sotheby’s auction is also recognizing Northrop as a true artist. The remaining lots in the Nov. 18 auction are artworks from the late 19th to the 20th century by artists like Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, and Rene Magritte. With the Donner Memorial Window appearing in this auction, Northrop is given a place among these modern visionaries.
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