BY TIFFANY STUDIOS, NEW YORK, EARLY 20TH CENTURY

The design of these vases was inspired by medieval Spanish Nasrid, or so-called Alhambra, vases. The amphora-like Alhambra design dates from the thirteenth to fifteenth centuries and, while examples have been found in other areas of the Mediterranean, they are usually associated with southern Spain. Their purpose seems to have been purely decorative, and their large wing-like handles serve simply to provide greater surface for decoration.