TIFFANY STUDIOS | “Laburnum” Table Lamp

with a "Roman" base

Sotheby’s New York, November 17, 1988, lot 728
Acquired from the above by the present owner

William Feldstein, Jr. and Alastair Duncan, The Lamps of Tiffany Studios, New York, 1983, p. 139 (for the shade)
Takeo Horiuchi, ed., The World of Louis Comfort Tiffany: A Selection from the Anchorman Collection, Nagoya, Japan, 1994, p. 78 (for the shade)
Alastair Duncan, Louis C. Tiffany: The Garden Museum Collection, Woodbridge, Suffolk, 2004, p. 282 (for the shade)
Martin Eidelberg, Alice Cooney Frelinghuysen, Nancy A. McClelland and Lars Rachen, The Lamps of Louis Comfort Tiffany, New York, 2005, p. 116 (for the shade)
Alastair Duncan, Tiffany Lamps and Metalware, Woodbridge, Suffolk, 2007, pp. 95 (for the shade) and 103 (for the base)
Martin Eidelberg, Nina Gray and Margaret K. Hofer, A New Light on Tiffany: Clara Driscoll and the Tiffany Girls, exh. cat., New York Historical Society, 2007, p. 192, fig. 100 (for the shade)
Margaret K. Hofer and Rebecca Klassen, The Lamps of Tiffany Studios: Nature Illuminated, New York, 2016, p. 89 (for the shade)
Timeless Beauty, The Art of Louis Comfort Tiffany, The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art, Atglen, PA, 2016, p. 168 (for the identical shade and base pairing)

Overall in very good condition. The shade is executed in a range of both warm and cool yellows to depict the laburnum blossoms, accented with soft hues in yellow-orange and lime green. The leaves are comprised of a range of green glass, from deep forest green to shamrock green. The background passages are executed in a soft grey-blue, which evokes the sky seen through the laburnum blossoms. The shade with approximately 25 hairline cracks dispersed throughout, which all appear stable and is to be expected considering the vast number of individual pieces of glass required to execute a shade of this scale and complexity. The shade with some light surface soiling concentrated to the contours adjacent to the leadlines particularly on the top of the shade, consistent with age. The bronze base displays a rich russet brown and green patina. The bronze surfaces with scattered minor surface scratches, abrasions, and light surface soiling to the recessed contours, consistent with age and gentle use. The sockets and paddle switches all appear to be original and undisturbed. With a period finial in very good condition with extremely light wear and a minor shallow dent. A highly naturalistic depiction of the Laburnum model displaying strong coloration. The Roman base imparts the lamp with a sensibility that the laburnum blossoms are cascading over an architectural column.
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.