Important Design
Important Design
Property of a Distinguished Florida Collector
Tiffany Studios
"Peony Border" Floor Lamp
Auction Closed
June 7, 06:14 PM GMT
Estimate
120,000 - 180,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
Property of a Distinguished Florida Collector
Tiffany Studios
"Peony Border" Floor Lamp
circa 1906-1910
with a "Scroll" Senior floor base and "Pig Tail" finial
leaded glass, patinated bronze
shade impressed TIFFANY STUDIOS NEW YORK 1574-7
base impressed Tiffany Studios/NEW YORK/375
78⅞ in. (200.3 cm) high
24½ in. (62.2 cm) diameter of shade
Private Family Collection, acquired directly from Tiffany Studios, circa 1910
Thence by descent
William Smith Auctions, Plainfield, New Hampshire, November 20, 2016, lot 86
Private Collection, Florida
Acquired from the above by the present owner, 2021
Thence by descent
William Smith Auctions, Plainfield, New Hampshire, November 20, 2016, lot 86
Private Collection, Florida
Acquired from the above by the present owner, 2021
Dr. Egon Neustadt, The Lamps of Tiffany, New York, 1970, p. 79 (for the shade)
Margaret K. Hofer and Rebecca Klassen, The Lamps of Tiffany Studios: Nature Illuminated, New York, 2016, p. 105 (for the shade)
Alastair Duncan, Tiffany Lamps and Metalware, Woodbridge, Suffolk, 2019, pp. 224, no. 877 and 225, no. 878 (for the base); pp. 228, no. 891 and 229, nos. 894 and 896 (for the shade)
Margaret K. Hofer and Rebecca Klassen, The Lamps of Tiffany Studios: Nature Illuminated, New York, 2016, p. 105 (for the shade)
Alastair Duncan, Tiffany Lamps and Metalware, Woodbridge, Suffolk, 2019, pp. 224, no. 877 and 225, no. 878 (for the base); pp. 228, no. 891 and 229, nos. 894 and 896 (for the shade)
The natural world offered Louis Comfort Tiffany's glassmakers an abundance of opportunities to experiment with color and the transmission of light through glass as they crafted each floral shade. The peony blossom, with its extraordinary lushness and variation in color palette, was a particularly prime subject for Tiffany’s leaded glass shades. Beyond its innate beauty, the peony had great cultural and symbolic appeal. A popular motif in Asian art, which Tiffany revered and was an important source of inspiration in his work, the peony was thought to signify strength and was considered the “King of Flowers.”
The present “Peony Border” Floor Lamp is an exquisite example of the model with a nuanced glass selection and jubilant spring palette. The poppies are depicted in various stages of bloom in soft shades of cream, peach and pale yellow surrounded by verdant green foliage. The flowers appear beautifully sun-dappled, unfurling their petals below a perfect sky of mottled powder blue, cerulean and periwinkle tiles. Situated on a “Scroll” Senior floor base and topped with a “Pig Tail” finial, the shade has incredible visual presence. Its grand scale and complex leaded glass composition, coupled with its esteemed family provenance which traces back to its original acquisition from the firm, make this lot a truly exquisite example of Tiffany’s artistry.
The present “Peony Border” Floor Lamp is an exquisite example of the model with a nuanced glass selection and jubilant spring palette. The poppies are depicted in various stages of bloom in soft shades of cream, peach and pale yellow surrounded by verdant green foliage. The flowers appear beautifully sun-dappled, unfurling their petals below a perfect sky of mottled powder blue, cerulean and periwinkle tiles. Situated on a “Scroll” Senior floor base and topped with a “Pig Tail” finial, the shade has incredible visual presence. Its grand scale and complex leaded glass composition, coupled with its esteemed family provenance which traces back to its original acquisition from the firm, make this lot a truly exquisite example of Tiffany’s artistry.