Louis Comfort Tiffany
"Pond Lily" Table Lamp, Model No. 3441900-1910

On view:

Geffen Galleries, Labor and Leisure in the American Metropolis

Leaded glass table lamp with domed shade in blue, amber, and green depicting large floral blooms, on a dark patinated bronze base cast as overlapping lily pads

Leaded glass table lamp with domed shade composed of amber, green, and red glass segments depicting flowering water lilies at the border; illuminated from within against a dark background; bronze base with sculptural lily pad and blossom forms.

Designed by: Louis Comfort Tiffany
Made by: Tiffany Studios
Title: "Pond Lily" Table Lamp, Model No. 344
Place Made: United States
Date Made: 1900-1910
Medium: Leaded glass, bronze
Dimensions: 27 5/16 x 18 in. (69.37 x 45.72 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Mr. David Geffen
Accession Number: M.85.128a-b
Classification: Furnishings
Collecting Area: Decorative Arts and Design
Curatorial Notes: Tiffany Studios, based in Queens, New York, was a leading purveyor of Art Nouveau glass. Founded by Louis Comfort Tiffany, the decorating firm became famous in the decades around 1900 for leaded-glass lamps like this one, as well as monumental stained-glass windows for churches and memorials. The “Pond Lily” lamp was one of the company’s most sophisticated models. Here, the shade’s gracefully descending lily flowers correspond with the overlapping pile of lily pads on the cast-bronze base. The alternation of blue-green and brown-orange pieces of glass and their mottled texture at the top of the shade suggest the still, deep water of a lily pond. The lamp’s complexity is reflected in its price; it was the third most expensive in the Tiffany line, retailing for $400.

Tiffany Studios revolutionized stained-glass production in the late nineteenth century by developing a broader range of glass colors and textures to use in its windows, lamps, and vases. Since the medieval period, detail in stained glass had largely been achieved with the application of enamel or glass paint. Tiffany exploited the color and texture of glass itself to suggest the natural landscape. He was renowned for developing shimmery and iridescent glass that evoked the gentle movements of rippling water or bristling leaves. In an age of increasing industrialization, floral Tiffany lamps like this one appealed to consumers because they brought the suggestion of nature indoors.

Bobbye Tigerman

2024
Selected Bibliography: Bowman, Leslie Greene. American Arts and Crafts: Virtue in Design. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1990.

Louis Comfort Tiffany
"Pond Lily" Table Lamp, Model No. 3441900-1910

On view:

Geffen Galleries, Labor and Leisure in the American Metropolis

Designed by: Louis Comfort Tiffany
Made by: Tiffany Studios
Title: "Pond Lily" Table Lamp, Model No. 344
Place Made: United States
Date Made: 1900-1910
Medium: Leaded glass, bronze
Dimensions: 27 5/16 x 18 in. (69.37 x 45.72 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Mr. David Geffen
Accession Number: M.85.128a-b
Classification: Furnishings
Collecting Area: Decorative Arts and Design
Curatorial Notes: Tiffany Studios, based in Queens, New York, was a leading purveyor of Art Nouveau glass. Founded by Louis Comfort Tiffany, the decorating firm became famous in the decades around 1900 for leaded-glass lamps like this one, as well as monumental stained-glass windows for churches and memorials. The “Pond Lily” lamp was one of the company’s most sophisticated models. Here, the shade’s gracefully descending lily flowers correspond with the overlapping pile of lily pads on the cast-bronze base. The alternation of blue-green and brown-orange pieces of glass and their mottled texture at the top of the shade suggest the still, deep water of a lily pond. The lamp’s complexity is reflected in its price; it was the third most expensive in the Tiffany line, retailing for $400.

Tiffany Studios revolutionized stained-glass production in the late nineteenth century by developing a broader range of glass colors and textures to use in its windows, lamps, and vases. Since the medieval period, detail in stained glass had largely been achieved with the application of enamel or glass paint. Tiffany exploited the color and texture of glass itself to suggest the natural landscape. He was renowned for developing shimmery and iridescent glass that evoked the gentle movements of rippling water or bristling leaves. In an age of increasing industrialization, floral Tiffany lamps like this one appealed to consumers because they brought the suggestion of nature indoors.

Bobbye Tigerman

2024
Selected Bibliography: Bowman, Leslie Greene. American Arts and Crafts: Virtue in Design. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1990.