86 New Yoek at the Woeld's Columbian Exposition. 



other exliibits, one of cut and uncut precious stones and gems, and a 

 metallurgical collection illustrating the alloys of gold, silver and other- 

 metals and by-products. 



Another very interesting display made by the firm was in connection 

 with the United States national museum exhibit in the Government 

 Building; their exhibit here consisted of a collection of rare and 

 unusual leathers and skins of birds, beasts, fish and fowl. 



The exhibit of the Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company illustrated 

 most forcibly two points of great importance : the marked advance the 

 decorative arts have made in the United States since the Centennial 

 Exposition at Philadelphia in 1876, and the increased number of 

 appreciative spectators. 



The exhibit was particularly strong in showmg the value of glass as 

 a decorative material, especially in ecclesiastical art ; this was made 

 evident through the medium of a completely equipped chapel, con- 

 structed on Eomanesque or Northern Byzantine lines, from tlie design 

 of Mr. Louis C. Tiffany. The altar, retables and reredos were largely 

 composed of glass mosaic in a setting of marble, enriched by inlays of 

 mother-of-pearl, semi-precious and precious stones. The body of the 

 altar was made of 150,000 pieces of flat, cream white opalescent glass 

 in quarter-inch squares; this field of mosaic was relieved and orna- 

 mented with emblems and symbolic devices in various rich substances ; 

 the risers of the retable were filled with gold glass mosaic of the same 

 size as that in the body of the altar and carrying inscriptions in flat 

 opalescent glass ; the reredos was in strong contrast to the altar both in 

 color and in handling of the mosaic, yet most pleasing and artistic ; in 

 a wide setting of black marble there was a symbolic picture composed 

 of iridescent glass mo8a,ic, which gave forth blue, green and golden 

 scintillations of pearl-like light. The mosaitpieces^-irLthia. picture^ in 

 pl^ee of being squares, were made to follow the design, were large in 

 size, and resembled in construction that species of mosaic the ancient 

 Romans termed Alexandrine. Attached to and overshadowing the 

 reredos there was a semi-ciborium, constructed of a series of receding 

 round arches, the soffit of each arch falling below the one immediately 

 next to it, in that way exposing a number of faces and enhancinsr the 

 perspective ; the whole was overlaid with gold, enriched with ornaments 

 in relief, set with jewels, made brilliant with inscriptions and inlays of 

 colored and gold glass mosaic. These arches rested UDon twelve columns 

 whose metal caps were made precious with relief ornament upon a back- 



