My Tiffany Lamp

You’ve heard about “Tiffany lamps” for many years, but what exactly makes these lamps so special?

At the most basic level, a Tiffany lamp contains stain glass panels rather than a fabric shade. They are, of course, marked by the highest quality materials and craftsmanship.

Tiffany began making and distributing these lamps in 1895. The production of Tiffany lamps is currently viewed as a major contribution to the Art Nouveau movement.

And what is “Art Nouveau?” This was an artistic movement in response to the more rigid academic movement that preceded it. Nouveau art is marked by flowing lines, dramatic curves, and floral patterns.

And this is exactly what distinguishes a Tiffany lamp. They are often adorned with stain glass panels showing various flowers such as roses, wisteria, lotus, and others. The dragonfly Tiffany style lamps are also very common.

Today, authentic Tiffany lamps are almost impossible to find. They are mostly housed in museums, and the ones for public sale have fetched upwards of $8 million.

Tiffany lamps , like this 11.5″ Tiffany Style Roseborder Mini Lamp, enjoy a rich and storied history.  Dating back to the lat 1800s these small wonders epitomize American and the art-deco movement of the late 20s.

Tiffany glass is the generic name used here to describe the many and varied types of glass developed and produced by Louis Comfort Tiffany, (1848-1933), one of the most famous stained glass artists of the United States and remembered not only for his windows but for decorative glass objects, in particular so-called Tiffany lamps.

In 1865 Tiffany traveled to Europe and in London he visited the Victoria and Albert Museum, whose extensive collection of Roman and Syrian glass made a deep impression on him. He admired the coloration of medieval glass and was convinced that the quality of contemporary glass could be improved upon.

In his own words, the “Rich tones are due in part to the use of pot metal full of impurities, and in part to the uneven thickness of the glass, but still more because the glass maker of that day abstained from the use of paint”.

Tiffany was an interior designer, and in 1878 his interest turned towards the creation of stained glass, when he opened his own studio and glass foundry because he was unable to find the types of glass that he desired in interior decoration. His inventiveness both as a designer of windows and as a producer of the material with which to create them was to become renowned.