The Story Behind Antique Tiffany Lamps

By: Aby Garvey

No other lamp is sought out by antique collectors quite like the lamps made by Louis Comfort Tiffany and his studio in New York. These stained glass lamps came from his artistic ability to control light and work with glass for a beautifully unique combination. The studio created and produced many products out of glass and today these fine pieces fetch a high price at auction houses and antique shops.

The studio worked mostly in blown glass and glass tiles from its inception until 1878. But it was that year in which Tiffany created his first opalescent glass window. Despite legal disputes as well as significant social mudslinging with John LaFarge over who came up with the idea for opalescent glass first, Tiffany made stained glass windows extremely popular with the wealthy.

These stained glass panels were constructed by cutting the needed pieces for a pattern out of large sheets of colored glass. Of course there was plenty of waste off of each sheet of opalescent glass which Tiffany eventually began using to make his stained glass lamps. Of course these lamps did not start out exactly as those, which come to mind at first for most people.

When many people think of Tiffany table lamps, floor lamps, chandeliers, and more those constructed from the pieces of stained glass are what first come to mind. But before he made these lamps he was constructing other styles, which bore his name. These glass lamps were made with blown glass globes as well as other forms of blown glass.

It was in 1899 that the company started creating their lamps with a heavy bronze base combined with the intricately worked glass shade. This shade was made much like his stained glass panels but instead of a flat pattern the glass was in the form of a shade. This was accomplished with a lead frame holding together the pieces of opalescent glass just like his famous windows.

These lamps had many features that made them desirable back in the turn of the century and they are still the features that are sought even today. Constructed with heavy bronze bases, which provided not only a sturdy but also an elegant foundation to hold the delicate glass shade. Each shade was hand constructed using beautiful stained glass, which diffused light pleasantly and evenly. These shades were so well made that even today they will not break unless handled carelessly or perhaps dropped. Each Tiffany lamp was carefully finished off with the best wiring and fittings for a lamp that in many cases still operates like new today despite the years.

Today antique collectors quickly grab these lamps when they become available often paying top dollar for the piece. For those who cannot afford the cost of a true antique Tiffany lamp they can purchase a modern lamp with wonderful details using the same patterns in stained glass lamp reproductions.

Article Source: https://www.collectibles-articles.com

All Things Tiffany is the internet source for Tiffany floor lamps, Tiffany table lamps, stained glass panels, and other Tiffany style products.

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