Lot 218
  • 218

Tiffany Studios

Estimate
600,000 - 900,000 USD
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Description

  • Tiffany Studios
  • "Dragonfly" Table Lamp
  • shade impressed TIFFANY STUDIOS NEW YORK
    base impressed TIFFANY STUDIOS/NEW YORK/355
  • leaded glass, favrile mosaic glass and patinated bronze
  • Height: 32 1/2 inches
  • Diameter of shade: 22 1/4 inches
  • with a rare "Mosaic and Turtle-Back" base

Provenance

Ted Ingham, Detroit, MI
Sandra van den Broek, New York
Acquired from the above by the present owner

Literature

William Feldstein, Jr. and Alastair Duncan, The Lamps of Tiffany Studios, New York, 1983, pp. 102-103 and 124-125
Alastair Duncan, Fin de Siècle Masterpieces from the Silverman Collection, New York, 1989, pp. 22-23 and 28
Alastair Duncan, Louis C. Tiffany:  The Garden Museum Collection, Woodbridge, Suffolk, 2004, pp. 304-305 (for a related example formerly in the Garden Museum Collection, presently in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston)
Martin Eidelberg, Alice Cooney Frelinghuysen, Nancy A. McClelland and Lars Rachen, The Lamps of Louis Comfort Tiffany, New York, 2005, pp. 195 and 197

Condition

Overall in very good condition. The shade with approximately 30 cracks dispersed throughout, as well as 4 tight hairline cracks to the jewel cabochons, and some small tight hairline cracks to the small pieces of glass comprising the top border rows and Dragonfly spines. All of these cracks appear stable. All of the reticulated bronze wing overlays appear intact, stable and in very good condition. The shade leading appears to have been cleaned and enhanced many years ago to revitalize the original patina. The rare Mosaic and Turtle-Back tile base is in remarkable condition. The patinated bronze surfaces throughout display an exceptionally rich and satisfying mottled green and russet brown patina. The bronze surfaces with some occasional light surface scratches, abrasions and gentle rubbing to the high points of the design consistent with age and gentle use. All of the inset Turtle-Back tiles in the base appear original and undisturbed with no visible condition issues. These tiles are beautifully iridized on the exterior. When viewed with reflected light they display a brilliant range of luminous jewel tones. When the base is illuminated from its interior electrical socket these tiles remit a warm rich emerald green glow. All of the mosaic glass tiles set within the base appear original and undisturbed, displaying a beautiful transition from deep cobalt blue to varying hues of green which is visually harmonious with the coloration of the shade. The mosaic tiles with some occasional tight hairlines and very small and minor edge flecks consistent with age and gentle handling. The interior of the upper base is illuminated by an interior electrical socket which extends downward from the main socket cluster. This socket appears original and undisturbed and is fully functional. The base retains its original bronze switch, which is fully functional and operates as a two-way switch for the six-light socket cluster which illuminates the shade and the interior base socket. With expected gentle rubbing to the perimeter contours of the base switch and to the adjacent surfaces of the base from continued surface contact over time. All of the sockets and paddle switches appear original and undisturbed; two of the sockets cups (the rear elements of the sockets which connect to the socket arms) appear to have been replaced. With some minor traces of patina losses on the underside of the socket arms. With a period Tiffany finial that displays a closely corresponding patina to the base; the finial with some very minor irregular undulations to the bottom perimeter border. An outstanding example of this iconic Dragonfly model, displaying the most desired shade and base pairing and an extraordinary glass selection. When viewed in person the lamp is absolutely dazzling with rich luminous color, most notably in the dramatic aquatic background passages and the magnificent display of brilliant cabochon jewels. The catalogue photography does not sufficiently capture the true dramatic quality and brilliance of the glass and jewels. Please note that both the interior top rim of the base and the lower rim of the socket cluster cover are impressed with the numeral 4. It was customary for Tiffany Studios to impress such numbers on these components as a guide for assembly.
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

Historically, the dragonfly holds great spiritual significance in Japanese culture—a stylistic source that Louis Comfort Tiffany was exposed to through the vast variety of Japanese artifacts that were imported into the United States following the opening of Japan to foreign trade in 1854.  Tiffany’s involvement with Siegfried Bing’s noted L’Art Nouveau gallery would solidify the American aesthetic designer’s interest in natural motifs translated to decorative surfaces. 

The interest in the dragonfly within the decorative arts emerged during this Modern period.  Associated with the changing seasons of summer into autumn in Japanese culture, the dragonfly is a popular motif in Haiku poetry spanning several centuries of tradition.  The eighteenth-century poet Hori Bakusui captures the delicacy of a dragonfly in simple, effortless lyricism:  

                Dyed he is with the
                Color of Autumnal days,
                O red dragonfly.

Here, the notion of autumnal glory—resplendent and glowing—is deeply evocative in the poetry of the Bashō revival, and this lyrical description highlights visual symmetries in Tiffany’s glass selection in the present offering.  The heavily rippled, textured glass heightens a distinctly aquatic sensibility.  The coloration of the background glass is executed in deep ambers and burnt oranges with rich aqua.  The dragonfly spines are articulated in red and white with subtle hints of green, complemented by the wings displaying aqua mixed with golden amber.

What makes this lamp so exceptional is its dramatic and highly contrasting glass selection, exhibiting golden flames projecting below the top aperture of the shade.  The rich background passages heighten the perception and brilliance of the cabochon jewels.  The monumental base elevates the lamp to a heroic stature.  The iridized turtle-back tiles and mosaic decoration in harmonious cobalt and green tones support the grand composition of the lamp.  The aquatic color scheme suggests a sense of the natural world, adding to the dream-like quality evoked by the glass selection.

Images of nature during this period of cultural cross-pollination from the romanticized lands of the Middle East and Asia relate to a larger discourse on the notion of decoration in functional objects and the conventionalization of surface ornaments in design.  The naturalism of the color scheme for this Dragonfly model harkens back to a painterly quality that abstracts the form of the dragonfly while the wing overlays provide a contrasting layer of texture and trompe l’oeil depth in the depiction of the body.  The discussion of nature as a source for decorative works of art follows the directive of Parisian Art Nouveau architect Hector Guimard’s to “seize the stem”—an endorsement of biomorphic design during this period.  Photographic and design studies of plant and aquatic life published in this period were highly influential to the study of conventionalized decoration, including many design sourcebooks such as Hugo Froelich’s conventionalization of forms published in Keramic Studio (1905).  This conventionalized design relates to the complexity of the overlay on the dragonfly wings in the shade and lends a sense of depth and movement to the striped red and white bodies encircling the shade. 

Tiffany Studios’ collection of study photographs depicted natural flora and fauna, and served a similar inspirational purpose in the design process.  One of the firm’s photographs in the archive shows a dragonfly pinned to a collector’s mount, demonstrating a burgeoning interest in entomology arising from 19th century movements in the collection and identification of all forms of naturalia, especially insects like dragonflies and butterflies.  Inherent in this study of the dragonfly’s graceful body is the overarching theme of rationality, that is, that catalogued taxonomies of plants, animals and insects would ultimately reveal more knowledge about their physical properties, and shed new light on vast areas of unknown patterns in nature.  This fascination with nature is inherently translated by the designer’s hand, and delineates a sense of both rationalized study and interpretive wonder at the variations in tonality and texture exhibited by the dragonfly species.

The turn-of-the-century captivation with natural elements in design is richly exhibited in the aquatic, dream-like color palette of the Dragonfly shade’s composition.  Tiffany deftly translates the dragonfly motif into a distinctive American visual aesthetic, acutely aware of both international flows of cultural images, and an awe-inspired view of the natural world.