Tiffany Studios New York "Lotus Bell" Desk Lamp

About the Item

This Tiffany Studios New York glass and bronze “Lotus Bell” table lamp, features a mottled jade green and cream-white leaded glass shade, suspended from a patinated bronze ribbed “Harp” base. The shade bears elaborate veining that required much precision from Tiffany’s glass cutters. For the structure, Tiffany was inspired by the Amazon Water Lily (Victoria amazonica). The plant had recently come to the collection of the New York Botanical Garden, of which Tiffany was a board member. The plant was seen as a prime example of sacred geometry in nature, an example of god’s perfection, and a curiosity for its exotic origins. Product Details: Item #: L-21328 Artist: Tiffany Studios New York Country: United States Circa: 1900 Dimensions: 20.5" height, 15.5" diameter Materials: Leaded glass, Patinated bronze Base Signed: ''Tiffany Studios New York 6874'' Literature: Similar desk lamp is pictured in Tiffany at Auction, by Alastair Duncan, p. 112, #303; also pictured in Tiffany Lamps and Metalware, by Alastair Duncan, p. 88, plate #422 Macklowe Gallery Curator's Notes; The lily, with ribbed under surface and leaves veining "like transverse girders and supports", was Paxton's inspiration for the Crystal Palace (1851), a building four times the size of St. Peter's in Rome.

Creator:
Tiffany Studios (Workshop/Studio)
Dimensions:
Height: 18 in (45.72 cm)Diameter: 15.5 in (39.37 cm)
Power Source:
Plug-in
Lampshade:
Included
Style:
Art Nouveau (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Bronze,Glass
Place of Origin:
United States
Period:
Early 20th Century
Date of Manufacture:
1900
Condition:
Seller Location:
New York, NY
Reference Number:
Seller: L-213281stDibs: LU885438400952
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Tiffany Studios

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 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.

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