Tiffany Lamps, A Fine Tradition
June 1, 2010 by Haitham Al-Ubaidi
Filed under Antiques
Tiffany Style Lamps
A Tiffany lamp is one that is made with many different types of glass shade. The best known was the stained leaded glass lamp. Originally, Tiffany lamps were considered as part of the Art Nouveau movement. Today there is a huge variety in the style of shades produced from the very modern to designs strongly influenced by the originals.
History of Tiffany Lamps
Tiffany lamps were first made around 1895. Each lamp was beautiful and individual. Made by skilled craftsmen and women, these lamps were handmade and were never mass produced or machine made. For the last 100 years, the original Tiffany lamp designs were put down to Louis Comfort Tiffany. The name Tiffany is synonymous to these lamps and has been applied generically to this style of lamp. An unrecognised single woman named Clara Driscoll was recently found to have in fact been the master designer behind these beautiful and precious objects.
Clara lost her father at there age of 12 and was encouraged to pursue a higher education. Born on 2nd April 1881, Clara attended design school in Cleveland and worked for a local furniture maker. Later she moved to New York and attended the then new Metropolitan Museum Art School. Hired by the famous Tiffany Studios based on her artistic merit, Clara worked there for over 20 years and was the leader in the design of the lamps, windows, and other decorative objects throughout her career.
Original Tiffany lamps included the famous Wisteria, Dragonfly, Peony, and from all accounts, Clara's first, the Daffodil design.
A Sparkling Heirloom For Your Home
Tiffany lamps are even more popular today than in their original heyday. This is purely down to price. The modern Tiffany style lamps echo back to the famed Tiffany & Co. but at a fraction of the price. The lamps today are still hand made and exquisite and whilst mechanisation is employed in certain aspects of manufacture, Tiffany style lamps are assembled by hand, and painstakingly soldered together. The result is a one off masterpiece of design fit to be handed down generation to generation. Not all lamps produced today are of the same quality but at their best, the individuality, and the ambiance these lamps create makes them highly desirable. In a world more used to fast food such unique and handcrafted beauty is rare indeed. An investment in a Tiffany style lamp will enrich your home and your life time and time again.
The Author is the owner of Busy Bee Gifts and is a Tiffany Lamp Collector. Busy Bee Gifts is an on line store that sells exquisite Tiffany Lamps & Betty Boop Collectibles as well as a range of decorative items. Visit Busy Bee Gifts for a glimpse into this world. Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service
Tags: Antiques, home accessories, home decor, Lamps, lighting, Louis Comfort Tiffany, Table Lamps, Tiffany Lamps, tiffany table lamps