Tiffany Studios Leaded Glass and Gilt Bronze Jeweled Drophead Dragonfly Table Lamp, circa 1910. At the turn of the century, Clara Driscoll, head of the women’s glass cutting department and the brains behind some of Tiffany’s most iconic shades introduced the “Drophead Dragonfly” to the world. Unable to cut the pieces of glass small enough to give the desired lacy effect to the wings of the dragonfly, Driscoll came up with the idea of using a brass filigree overlay that would be soldered over top of the glass wings, giving a much more intricate appearance. These filigrees had previously been used on smaller decorative items but were a new concept in lamp design. The Dragonfly became one of Tiffany’s first recorded leaded shades, shown as early as 1899 by Art Nouveau tastemaker Siegfried Bing at Grafton Galleries in London The design won her the bronze medal at the 1900 world's fair a year later. As the son of Tiffany & Co-founder Charles Lewis Tiffany, jewels to Louis Comfort Tiffany were as water is to a fish. It is no wonder with this background that Tiffany made the bold decision to employ Leo Popper & Sons of New York City as its producer of glass jewels Popper was founded in 1880 to produce imitation stones for costume jewelry, and Tiffany’s entrepreneurial prowess saw the possibility of using jewels in leaded glass shades. On the subject, Tiffany wrote: “Anyone who has seen the great rose windows of Chartres has, intuitively or otherwise, understood the relationship between glass and jewels. Designed to refract light prismatically, and placed to raise heads beatifically, they resemble nothing so much as magnificent celestial jewels.” It was likely for this reason that model no. 1507 was Tiffany’s favorite. More than any of its variants, the shade was spangled with a wide assortment of cabochon topaz glass jewels. This lamp features a unique example of Tiffany Studios' iconic Drophead Dragonfly shade depicting a swarm of nine descending dragonflies, each with a distinct combination of body and eye color. Dragonflies, each with wings of strikingly mottled apple green and deep red and a unique combination of eye and body color. The ground is a warm saffron yellow shaded up to rich butter yellow, punctuated by twinkling amber cabochons jewels and topped by geometric bands of purple mauve and mint green. The vibrancy and variation in the dragonfly glass selection contrasts well with the warmth of the ground. A Gilt Queen Anne’s Lace telescoping base in overall very good condition. Sockets and heat cap appear original. Scattered fine surface wear and minor rubbing to gilt indicative of age and gentle handling. Telescope mechanism functions smoothly. These Dragonflies do not last long. Andrew Carnegie’s Identical lamp sold for $2.2 million. Marks to shade: TIFFANY STUDIOS 1507 Marks to base: TIFFANY STUDIOS NEW YORK 397 Height: 28.5 Inches (adjustable higher) (72.5 cm) Diameter: 22.5 inches (57.2 cm) Condition: The shade has approximately 10-15 tight, stable hairlines to mostly the wings undetectable behind filigreed meshing and very few tiles. Base with slight wear to gilt patina. Displays beautifully. PROVENANCE: Private Collection, Southwestern United States; Christie's New York, June 9, 2005, lot 48; Gerald Peters Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico; Private Collection, New York, acquired from the above in 2007. LITERATURE: A. Duncan, Tiffany Lamps and Metalware: An illustrated reference to over 2000 models, Suffolk, Woodbridge, 2019, p. 95, fig. 365 (similar example of shade 1507 and base 397). AVANTIQUES is dedicated to providing an exclusive curated collection of Fine Arts, Paintings, Bronzes, Asian treasures, Art Glass and Antiques. Our inventory represents time-tested investment quality items with everlasting decorative beauty. We look forward to your business and appreciate any reasonable offers. All of our curated items are vetted and guaranteed authentic and as described. Avantiques only deals in original antiques and never reproductions. We stand behind our treasures with a full money back return policy if the items are not as described. Please also consider Avantiques eclectic Art Glass and Pate De Verre collection including Emile Galle, Daum Nancy, Schneider, Argy Rousseau, Almeric Walter, D’Argental, St Louis, Decorchemont, and Louis Comfort Tiffany Studios. We strive to collect the highest quality glass pieces in exceptional condition.
Tiffany Studios
The hand-crafted kerosene and early electric lighting fixtures created at Tiffany Studios now rank among the most coveted decorative objects in the world. Tiffany designs of any kind are emblematic of taste and craftsmanship, and Tiffany glass refers to far more than stained-glass windows and decorative glass objects. The iconic multimedia manufactory’s offerings include stained-glass floor lamps, chandeliers and enameled metal vases. The most recognizable and prized of its works are antique Tiffany Studios table lamps.
The name Tiffany generally prompts thoughts of two things: splendid gifts in robin’s-egg blue boxes and exquisite stained glass. In 1837, Charles Lewis Tiffany founded the former — Tiffany & Co., one of America’s most prominent purveyors of luxury goods — while his son, Louis Comfort Tiffany, is responsible for exemplars of the latter.
Louis was undoubtedly the most influential and accomplished American decorative artist in the decades that spanned the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Rather than join the family business, he studied painting with several teachers, notably the scenic painter Samuel Colman, while spending long periods touring Europe and North Africa. Though he painted his entire career, visits to continental churches sparked a passionate interest in stained glass. Tiffany began experimenting with the material and in 1875 opened a glass factory-cum-laboratory in Corona, Queens — the core of what eventually became Tiffany Studios.
In his glass designs, Tiffany embraced the emerging Art Nouveau movement and its sinuous, naturalistic forms and motifs. By 1902, along with glass, Tiffany was designing stained-glass lamps and chandeliers as well as enameled metal vases, boxes and bowls, and items such as desk sets and candlesticks. Today such pieces epitomize the rich aesthetics of their era.
The lion’s share of credit for Tiffany Studios table lamps and other fixtures has gone to Louis. However, it was actually Clara Driscoll (1861–1944), an Ohio native and head of the Women’s Glass Cutting Department for 17 years, who was the genius behind the Tiffany lamps that are most avidly sought by today’s collectors. A permanent gallery of Tiffany lamps at the New-York Historical Society celebrates the anonymous women behind the desirable fixtures.
