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(New York, Paris, & London: Tiffany & Co., 1910-40). 85 x 64 mm. (3 3/8 x 2 1/2"). 36 individually bound calendars (including 13 duplicates), plus six empty bindings.
Each calendar bound in a different color of leather, elegantly gilt in designs reflecting the tastes of the day, from traditional patterns incorporating delicate floral and foliate tools, to modern patterns featuring bold gilt rules. Two of the calendars with pencil notations; one with a pressed flower in its pages. Three of the duplicate calendars with contents partially torn out, the calendar for 1910 with leather peeling at edges, occasional light chalky residue (from tanning process?) on covers, otherwise just trivial imperfections here and there, the majority very clean and well preserved.
Produced by the company whose name is synonymous with luxury, this substantial group of Tiffany & Co. miniature calendars is attractively bound with different gilt designs spanning 30 years of style. The group includes calendars for the years 1910, 1915-16, and every year from 1918-1940, excepting 1926 and 1928. (The additional six empty bindings, one of them defective, are all for 1918.) With each passing year, we can see the evolution of Tiffany's designs, with the preference for traditional tooling and lace-like patterns on the early calendars giving way to bold, geometric designs of the Art Deco period. In addition to pages for each month, the calendars include helpful references such as birthstones, wedding anniversary gifts, and holidays, as well as a brief history of the company. Some also include postage rates and silver hallmarks. Likely made as promotional gifts for customers, these jewel-like calendars would have made attractive keepsakes, and certainly live up to the Tiffany name. According to the auction house from which we purchased these volumes, the previous owner's great-grandfather worked as an accountant at Tiffany's Paris location from 1899 until the Nazis imprisoned him in 1940. It is sobering to see that the last calendar included here is indeed for the year 1940, and within its pages, a small pressed flower rests undisturbed. (ST14911)
Price: $4,500.00