Lot 316
  • 316

TIFFANY STUDIOS | A Rare Four-light “Lily” Table Lamp

Estimate
20,000 - 30,000 USD
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Description

  • Tiffany Studios
  • A Rare Four-light “Lily” Table Lamp
  • shades engraved H2647, H2683, H2687 and H2690 base impressed TIFFANY STUDIOS/NEW YORK/28597/19
  • favrile glass, patinated bronze
  • Height with shades: 20 inches
  • circa 1905
with four reactive and dichroic "Lily" shades

Literature

Alastair Duncan, Tiffany At Auction, New York, 1981, p. 127
Alastair Duncan, Tiffany Lamps and Metalware, Woodbridge, Suffolk, 2007, p. 57

Condition

Overall very good condition. This lamp is outfitted with four highly unusual and rare reactive glass "Lily" shades in excellent condition. Due to the reactive nature of the shade glass, the shades display shades of dark amber When viewed with reflected light, which converts to deep, rich scarlet red when viewed with remitted light. The shades are executed with a particularly elegant, elongated silhouette with deeply ruffled rim. The shades each with some expected occasional extremely minute flea bites to the edges of the upper rim, not visible when installed. The base displays a rich brown patina with minor surface scratches, abrasions, and traces of oxidation and rubbing to the patina consistent with age and gentle use. All sockets and the base switch appear to be period and undisturbed. A spectacular and highly artistic shade selection.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Catalogue Note

The Lily lamp was one of the earliest electrified lamps made by Tiffany Studios. Listed in the company’s price guides as a “Pond Lily,” it was one of Tiffany’s most popular models, assisted by the fact that it was a awarded a grand prize at the 1902 Prima Esposizionle Internatlonale d’Art Decorativa Moderna held in Turin, Italy. Unlike Tiffany’s other electric lamps with their colorful leaded glass shades, the Pond Lily incorporated multiple blown glass trumpet-shaped shades, with ruffled lower borders, that simulated the plant’s blossoms.

The vast majority of lily shades are of plain transparent yellow glass with an exterior gold iridescence. The shades for the Lily lamp offered here are very different and highly unusual. Each has a design of elongated sections of striated pale green replicating slender leaves. These sections are reactive, converting to an azure blue near the upper rims. Equally noteworthy is the actual glass used to create the shades. In this case, it is dichroic, likely created by adding colloidal copper to the batch. When seen with reflected light, the glass base layer appears a dark amber. When seen with transmitted light, the shades change to a deep, rich scarlet red. 

There has been one other known Lily lamp, an eighteen-light model, with this same type of dichroic shade.  Of the sixteen shades that were signed for that lamp, all had an “H” prefix and fourteen were numbered within the 2650 to 2688 range. The shades for this present example, based on their markings, were obviously made at the same time. It is surprising that more of these shades were not produced, but perhaps they were too expensive or too difficult to make in quantity. In any case, they create a superlative effect and greatly enhance the lamp’s overall appeal.

—Paul Doros