The hand-crafted kerosene and early electric lighting fixtures created at Tiffany Studios now rank among the most coveted decorative objects in the world. Tiffany designs of any kind are emblematic of taste and craftsmanship, and Tiffany glass refers to far more than stained-glass windows and decorative glass objects. The iconic multimedia manufactory’s offerings include stained-glass floor lamps, chandeliers and enameled metal vases. The most recognizable and prized of its works are antique Tiffany Studios table lamps.
The name Tiffany generally prompts thoughts of two things: splendid gifts in robin’s-egg blue boxes and exquisite stained glass. In 1837, Charles Lewis Tiffany co-founded the former — Tiffany & Co., one of America’s most prominent purveyors of luxury goods — while his son, Louis Comfort Tiffany, is responsible for exemplars of the latter.
Louis was undoubtedly the most influential and accomplished American decorative artist in the decades that spanned the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Rather than join the family business, he studied painting with several teachers, notably the scenic painter Samuel Colman, while spending long periods touring Europe and North Africa. Though he painted his entire career, visits to continental churches sparked a passionate interest in stained glass. Tiffany began experimenting with the material and in 1875 opened a glass factory-cum-laboratory in Corona, Queens — the core of what eventually became Tiffany Studios.
In his glass designs, Tiffany embraced the emerging Art Nouveau movement and its sinuous, naturalistic forms and motifs. By 1902, along with glass, Tiffany was designing stained-glass lamps and chandeliers as well as enameled metal vases, boxes and bowls, and items such as desk sets and candlesticks. Today such pieces epitomize the rich aesthetics of their era.
The lion’s share of credit for Tiffany Studios table lamps and other fixtures has gone to Louis. However, it was actually Clara Driscoll (1861–1944), an Ohio native and head of the Women’s Glass Cutting Department for 17 years, who was the genius behind the Tiffany lamps that are most avidly sought by today’s collectors. A permanent gallery of Tiffany lamps at the New-York Historical Society celebrates the anonymous women behind the desirable fixtures.
Find antique Tiffany Studios lamps, decorative glass objects and other works on 1stDibs.
$10,000 / set
Tiffany Studios Bronze Gold Dore Desk Set
By Tiffany Studios
Located in Greer, SC
9-Piece Tiffany Studios Bronze Desk Set which includes: Letter Holder, Notepad Holder, Letter Opener, Stamp Box, Pen Tray, Blotter, Ink Well, Vase Base, Nut Bowl with Scalloped Edges
Bronze
$3,800
H 28.75 in W 60 in D 24 in
Mid-Century American Modern Studio Craft Walnut Desk by Richard Artschwager
By Richard Artschwager
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Walnut Studio Craft single pedestal desk by renowned painter and sculptor, Richard Artschwager, who designed a small collection of furniture in New York City in 1953. These pieces ar...
Walnut
Studio Craft East Indian Satinwood Desk by Gregg Lipton
By Gregg Lipton
Located in Hanover, MA
Spectacular tour de force art deco style desk custom made by Cumberland, Maine studio furniture maker, Gregg Lipton. Inspired by Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann’s Soussa desk. Executed with...
Satinwood
Highly Ornamental Carlo Bugatti Desk & Chair Set, c.1910
By Carlo Bugatti
Located in EVERDINGEN, NL
This rare writing desk and matching chair showcase Carlo Bugatti’s imaginative, eccentric brilliance - a strikingly unconventional choice for bold interior curators and collectors with a taste for the extraordinary. Created circa 1910, the set features Bugatti’s iconic fusion of exotic materials and architectural fantasy: walnut, vellum, pewter and bone intarsia, punched copper, and long silk tassels, all composed into forms that feel both ancient and avant-garde. The desk showcases six small drawers bearing enigmatic, glyph-like script, while lacquered oak acorn...
Copper, Pewter
Oak Art Deco Desk with Bronze Handles
By Abbess
Located in London, GB
A freestanding oak Art Deco style pedestal desk with bronze handles by Abbess. Each pedestal having one writing slide over four drawers with bronze han...
Bronze
$3,420
H 29 in W 55 in D 27 in
Studio Craft Compass Campaign Desk made in South Africa from Yellowwood
By Pierre Jeanneret, Le Corbusier
Located in Fraser, MI
Studio Craft Compass Campaign Desk made in South Africa from Yellowwood. Has echos of Corbu and Jeanneret compass desk for Punjab University.
Hardwood
Studio Walnut Desk by Phillip Lloyd Powell
By Phillip Lloyd Powell
Located in Atlanta, GA
Stunning desk with drawers and compartment in walnut by Phillip Lloyd Powell (1919-2008). The freeform surface is made of thick walnut plank with a patched joined design with two ros...
Walnut
$9,250 / set
H 49.91 in W 43.71 in D 25.79 in
Antique Writing Desk and Chair Set circa 1920s, Moorish Style Inlaid Desk
Located in Miami, FL
Very fine antique Moorish style inlaid writing desk and chair set, circa 1920's. This hand-carved, intricately detailed example has absolutely incredible inlay work and fine woods to...
Wood, Cedar
$15,995
H 29.75 in W 45.5 in D 24.5 in
Fine Quality Dore' Bronze French Paul Sormani Parquetry Inlaid Walnut Desk
By Paul Sormani
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
Paul Sormani Louis XV Bronze-Mounted Writing Desk – Exceptional Quality & Parisian Craftsmanship Presenting a superb Louis XV–style bronze-mounted writing desk attributed to Pau...
Bronze
$14,995 / set
H 29.5 in W 76 in D 38 in
1970s Romweber Burl Wood and Gold Trim Executive Desk and Credenza Set
By Bernhard Rohne, Romweber Furniture Co., Mastercraft
Located in Chattanooga, TN
Together, these two monumental Romweber pieces create a striking executive office suite rooted in 1970s American luxury and craftsmanship. Crafted in richly figured burled Carpathian...
Brass
$3,301
H 31.5 in W 27.56 in D 55.12 in
Studio BBPR for Olivetti Sintesis "Arco" Office 3-Drawer Desk, Italy 1960s
By Studio BBPR, Olivetti
Located in Naples, IT
Desk Mod. "Arco" designed by Studio BBPR for Olivetti Sintesis in 1963. The desk has an iron frame and base on one side and has a case containing 3 drawers and the original metal was...
Iron
$6,500
H 30 in W 71 in D 34.75 in
Studio BBPR, Olivetti, Italian Mid-Century Modern, Desk, Metal, 1950s
By Studio BBPR
Located in Stamford, CT
Studio BBPR, Olivetti, Italian Mid-Century Modern, Industrial Desk, Metal, Red Faux Leather, 1950s Designed by Studio BBPR for the Arco series by Olivetti Arredamenti Metallici, Ivr...
Metal
$5,440Sale Price|26% Off
H 29.5 in W 59 in D 29.5 in
Oval Writing Desk Studio Crafted Walnut Spider Leg , 1970s
Located in Camden, ME
Unusual spider legged oval top writing desk with a single inset drawer. Handcrafted and laminated in a walnut veneer with hand shaped removable legs and an inset black glass top. ...
Walnut