Tiffany as Wearable Art

TIFFANY as WEARABLE ART – the PEONY NECKERCHIEF

A few years back a friend of mine was in New York and visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She bought me a souvenir from the museum’s gift shop; a brightly colored neckerchief. It is a beautifully printed adaptation of Tiffany’s Elaborate Peony shade. This little square of illustrated silk is truly an item of wearable art.

The Peony Neckerchief is based on Tiffany’s Elaborate Peony lamp designed by his chief artist, Clara Driscoll, and introduced to his clientele circa 1900s. The neckerchief successfully captures the essence of the energy and composition of this shade. For examples: the shade’s pattern is comprised of many large peony blossoms and buds. They are dense on the top and less so on the bottom. Around the bottom of the shade there is a narrow apron with two geometric rows of border that bind stems, leafs and flower fragments between them.

Peony Table Lamp by Shades of Tiffany

Replica of Tiffany’s original c. 1905

Likewise, the Peony Neckerchief pattern is crowded in the center with many large peony blossoms and buds; and its square edges are outlined by two geometric borders that also bind stems and flower fragments, just as on the shade.

The rich colors of the scarf are drawn from Tiffany’s Ruby Red Elaborate Peony shade. The stems and foliage in mottled greens are set against a beautiful slate blue background. The shade's single motif repeats three times around its circumference, while the Peony Neckerchief repeats the motif twice.

As its tag says, The Peony Neckerchief is made in Japan exclusively for the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

It is 100% silk and measures 21” square.

It can be worn around the neck as a dressy accessory;

or imaginatively used for other decorative purposes; perhaps in the home as a table scarf underneath a vase of flowers or, as the print is done so well, if the neckerchief were hung on glass, it would look like a stained glass window.

I love wearing my beautiful neckerchief.

--The Fashionable Miss Moo

The New York Metropolitan Museum of Art Gift Store; store.metmuseum.org advertises that it sells fine gifts reproduced from original art shown from their collections including jewelry, home décor, stationary, books, posters, apparel, etc. Under Apparel and Accessories, they offer scarves and shawls, jackets, ties, umbrellas, etc.

The New York Metropolitan Museum of Art Gift Store. If ever you are in New York City, I hope you have time to visit this treasure of a museum and bring home a souvenir from its wonderful gift store.

--use the scarf as a table drape

Note of Interest: To read more about the Tiffany Peony shade, check out this article from the Telegraph. A more recent auction value of a Tiffany Elaborate Peony Lamp is between $650,000 to $900,000.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/luxury/collectables/1436/art-of-glass-tiffany-lamps.html