Tiffany Studios A Rare "Flame" Table Lamp
Tiffany Studios
A Rare "Flame" Table Lamp
circa 1905
leaded glass, patinated bronze
base impressed TIFFANY STUDIOS/NEW YORK/438/S8470
32¼ in. (81.9 cm) high
11½ in. (29.2 cm) diameter of shade
Condition Report:
Overall in very good condition. When viewed firsthand, the shade exhibits unparalleled artistry and a strikingly complex geometric composition of glass. Roaring flames are articulated at the base of the spherical shade using nuanced shades of maroon, crimson, scarlet red, orange and amber yellow, while cool shades of arctic blue, violet and pale gray articulate billows of smoke as they rise up from the fire. The glass selection is exquisite with varying translucent, opaque and striated tiles imparting the shade with strong luminosity and dynamism. The shade with approximately 12 hairlines dispersed throughout, stable and which is a relatively low number when taking into consideration the vast number of individual glass tiles comprising a shade of this scale and complexity. The shade with some minor traces of surface soiling concentrated to the contours adjacent to the lead lines and to the interior of the shade, consistent with age. The pairing with the base is visually harmonious and imparts the lamp unit with a strong sculptural presence and impressive scale. The bronze displays a handsomely variegated russet brown patina with scattered minor abrasions and light surface wear consistent with age and gentle use. With a later replaced socket. A spectacular and rare masterpiece by Tiffany Studios exhibiting the highest level of artistry, design and nuanced glass selection.
Catalogue Note:
Fashioned from the Fires: The "Flame" Table Lamp
The initial table lamps produced by the Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company were fuel lamps and featured blown, not leaded, Favrile glass shades. Many of these shades were spherical, with an opening at the top to accommodate a glass chimney. The company gradually added leaded glass shades to its production as electricity became more available in the late 1890s. A few years later, spherical, or “ball” shades as the firm called them, were a very small part of the overall inventory. The Tiffany Studios 1906 Price List includes only three models, all with 10-inch diameters: Plain (no. 1540), Dogwood (no. 1544) and Autumn Leaves (no. 1546). No leaded glass “ball” shades appear in the company’s 1913 Price List and were likely discontinued well before then.
Fire was a central theme for several of Tiffany’s early leaded glass windows. Perhaps the company’s finest representation of fire in a window was made especially for the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle. The “Four Seasons,” designed by Louis Tiffany, was comprised of four distinct panels set within an ornate border. The “Winter” section has a highly evocative scene of a roaring campfire beneath a snow-laden pine bough set against a darkening twilight sky.
Although Louis Tiffany is credited with the motif, Clara Driscoll was intimately involved with its creation. The panel was scheduled to be made by the Women’s Glass Cutting Department in March 1899, but Tiffany was unable to supervise its construction as he was stricken with a bad cold and unable to leave his 72nd Street home. Driscoll was summoned to the mansion, where she and Tiffany further developed and refined the design of what Clara referred to as “the snow window.”
Tiffany was so enamored with the “Four Seasons” that it was also displayed at the 1901 Pan-American World’s Fair in Buffalo, New York, the 1902 Prima Esposizionie Internazionale d’Arte Decorativa Moderna held in Turin, Italy and was eventually installed at Laurelton Hall. It is now in the permanent collection of the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art in Winter Park, Florida.
This “Flame,” also sometimes referred to as the “Fire,” table lamp was probably made shortly after the “Four Seasons” window. The lamp is apparently unique and was made together with a purported companion “Ice” lamp, as a set both recalling the vivid imagery of the aforementioned “Winter” panel. The design is fascinating, as the geometric construction of the shade replicates a geodesic dome, a structure that was not invented until shortly after World War I. The lower third of the shade depicts a roaring fire in shades of amber, orange and red. Rising from the flames is billowing blue, violet and blue-streaked white smoke with flickering orange flames peeking through near the top. The globe is supported by a three-armed patinated bronze base described in the 1906 Price List as “Tyler, stem, standard, for No. 1546 ball, $55.00.” The base was discontinued but reappears slightly modified a few years later as a smoker’s stand, model number 1651.
As a personal aside, it should be noted that Jay, my father, made a pledge never to collect Tiffany leaded glass lamps after he was thoroughly embarrassed by purchasing a Woodbine example at a below-market price. Jay was exceptionally proud with himself for getting such a...
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Tiffany Studios
A Rare "Flame" Table Lamp
circa 1905
leaded glass, patinated bronze
base impressed TIFFANY STUDIOS/NEW YORK/438/S8470
32¼ in. (81.9 cm) high
11½ in. (29.2 cm) diameter of shade
Condition Report:
Overall in very good condition. When viewed firsthand, the shade exhibits unparalleled artistry and a strikingly complex geometric composition of glass. Roaring flames are articulated at the base of the spherical shade using nuanced shades of maroon, crimson, scarlet red, orange and amber yellow, while cool shades of arctic blue, violet and pale gray articulate billows of smoke as they rise up from the fire. The glass selection is exquisite with varying translucent, opaque and striated tiles imparting the shade with strong luminosity and dynamism. The shade with approximately 12 hairlines dispersed throughout, stable and which is a relatively low number when taking into consideration the vast number of individual glass tiles comprising a shade of this scale and complexity. The shade with some minor traces of surface soiling concentrated to the contours adjacent to the lead lines and to the interior of the shade, consistent with age. The pairing with the base is visually harmonious and imparts the lamp unit with a strong sculptural presence and impressive scale. The bronze displays a handsomely variegated russet brown patina with scattered minor abrasions and light surface wear consistent with age and gentle use. With a later replaced socket. A spectacular and rare masterpiece by Tiffany Studios exhibiting the highest level of artistry, design and nuanced glass selection.
Catalogue Note:
Fashioned from the Fires: The "Flame" Table Lamp
The initial table lamps produced by the Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company were fuel lamps and featured blown, not leaded, Favrile glass shades. Many of these shades were spherical, with an opening at the top to accommodate a glass chimney. The company gradually added leaded glass shades to its production as electricity became more available in the late 1890s. A few years later, spherical, or “ball” shades as the firm called them, were a very small part of the overall inventory. The Tiffany Studios 1906 Price List includes only three models, all with 10-inch diameters: Plain (no. 1540), Dogwood (no. 1544) and Autumn Leaves (no. 1546). No leaded glass “ball” shades appear in the company’s 1913 Price List and were likely discontinued well before then.
Fire was a central theme for several of Tiffany’s early leaded glass windows. Perhaps the company’s finest representation of fire in a window was made especially for the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle. The “Four Seasons,” designed by Louis Tiffany, was comprised of four distinct panels set within an ornate border. The “Winter” section has a highly evocative scene of a roaring campfire beneath a snow-laden pine bough set against a darkening twilight sky.
Although Louis Tiffany is credited with the motif, Clara Driscoll was intimately involved with its creation. The panel was scheduled to be made by the Women’s Glass Cutting Department in March 1899, but Tiffany was unable to supervise its construction as he was stricken with a bad cold and unable to leave his 72nd Street home. Driscoll was summoned to the mansion, where she and Tiffany further developed and refined the design of what Clara referred to as “the snow window.”
Tiffany was so enamored with the “Four Seasons” that it was also displayed at the 1901 Pan-American World’s Fair in Buffalo, New York, the 1902 Prima Esposizionie Internazionale d’Arte Decorativa Moderna held in Turin, Italy and was eventually installed at Laurelton Hall. It is now in the permanent collection of the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art in Winter Park, Florida.
This “Flame,” also sometimes referred to as the “Fire,” table lamp was probably made shortly after the “Four Seasons” window. The lamp is apparently unique and was made together with a purported companion “Ice” lamp, as a set both recalling the vivid imagery of the aforementioned “Winter” panel. The design is fascinating, as the geometric construction of the shade replicates a geodesic dome, a structure that was not invented until shortly after World War I. The lower third of the shade depicts a roaring fire in shades of amber, orange and red. Rising from the flames is billowing blue, violet and blue-streaked white smoke with flickering orange flames peeking through near the top. The globe is supported by a three-armed patinated bronze base described in the 1906 Price List as “Tyler, stem, standard, for No. 1546 ball, $55.00.” The base was discontinued but reappears slightly modified a few years later as a smoker’s stand, model number 1651.
As a personal aside, it should be noted that Jay, my father, made a pledge never to collect Tiffany leaded glass lamps after he was thoroughly embarrassed by purchasing a Woodbine example at a below-market price. Jay was exceptionally proud with himself for getting such a...
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