{"id":5125,"date":"2021-01-18T14:27:40","date_gmt":"2021-01-18T14:27:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bespokelights.co.uk\/blog\/?p=5125"},"modified":"2025-05-23T14:29:06","modified_gmt":"2025-05-23T13:29:06","slug":"a-buyers-guide-to-tiffany-lamps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bespokelights.co.uk\/blog\/2021\/01\/a-buyers-guide-to-tiffany-lamps\/","title":{"rendered":"A Buyers Guide To Tiffany Lamps"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Tiffany Lamps<\/a> have been one of the most coveted styles of lamps for over a century.
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From circa 1899 until early in the twenty century, Louis Comfort Tiffany designed and produced leaded lights, windows and panels. The originals are now considered antique works of art. <\/p>\n\n\n

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The designs are intricate and varied. Original Tiffany lamps<\/a> are extremely rare and command a huge price tag. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The authentic Tiffany Lamp<\/a>s are so valuable there is a market to capture unsuspecting shoppers. There are sure to be people who tell a fib to get customer to believe the lamps they sell are Tiffany made. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The last genuine Tiffany Lamp<\/a> that sold at Sotheby\u2019s was sold for 2.29 million dollars. Seems a lot, right? The last real Tiffany Lamps that sold at Christies NYC sold for 3.37 million dollars. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course replica or reproduction version are made still, though not by the Tiffany Studios. However, experts admit that sometimes it\u2019s very difficult to tell the difference between real and reproduction, if it\u2019s done well. So you still get a chance to own your very own antique of the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With regard to the terminology, to further complicate matters, new lamps made with stained glass, are generically referred to as \u2018Tiffany<\/a>!\u2019 This is a little misnomer really. More accurately these should be referred to as Tiffany Style<\/em> lamps. These are in the same style of the originals and often it\u2019s very hard to differentiate between real and reproduction, hence the need for a guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first thing to say is whilst everyone may describe a reproduced version as Tiffany, they are not. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Reproduction Tiffany lamps<\/a> that we sell at BespokeLights.co.uk, do not set out to pretend they are Tiffany Lamps<\/a> but the are still of exceptional quality. These are hand made, replicating styles and designs of Tiffany and his contemporaries, (for he was not the only one making lamps of this type) the quality and detail that pays homage to the works of Tiffany. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One day you may wish to own a Tiffany Lamp<\/a>? When that day comes, you\u2019ll want to ensure you invest in a good quality example. If you have a budget of Millions, then this article is not for you. But if you have a more relatively modest budget, read on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tiffany himself would not have made the lamps, but his team of Artisans would have followed his or another designers template. Tiffany did have other designers who worked with him and though he didn\u2019t make a lamp, he is said to have personally overseen each piece being made in the production line, to ensure it was being made to the designs and quality he required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today\u2019s reproduction lamps are based largely on those original designs and they are still made by Artisans. <\/p>\n\n\n

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It\u2019s confusing to some to understand that a real Tiffany lamp<\/a> is out of their price range, largely because the name \u2018Tiffany\u2019 is so frequently used when referring to stained glass lamps. Real can feel more attainable than it is for most normal budgets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As with all fine arts copies, reproductions are made. Like a Monet painting, we\u2019ve seen these works reproduced and they will look nothing like the real thing. Monet’s masterpieces can even be printed on mugs. A good replica of a painting may have more depth and feeling but still, we would not think of it as original, however with Tiffany, <\/a>people do still feel that it is real.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlike the aforementioned Monet where prints are reproduced, you can\u2019t exactly do that with an object! Tiffany style lamps have<\/em> to be made, recreated, piece by tiny piece, all by hand and that is why they are so authentic looking. It is more tactical and this is tangible\u2026. Real!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lamps in the style of Tiffany<\/a> are made by artists reproducing what they see, much as any artist looks at his subject and interprets this in their style. Some do this so well you\u2019d think it was by hand of the master! Others’ reproductions scrimp a little on materials, and may miss capturing the feel of the original works.
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Reproducing as close as possible to the original Tiffany design or pattern and using high quality materials, does result in a more expensive lamp but the difference shows. Spending wisely on a lamp that will last for generations is an investment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A word from the Director at Bespoke Lights: Lynne Hickin, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWay back in 1999 I spotted my first \u2018Tiffany\u2019 Lamp and fell in love and bought it. The Tiffany Lamp was not a Tiffany Lamp at all but a quality reproduction. I bought it knowing it wasn\u2019t a \u2018real\u2019 Tiffany lamp and I have treasured and cared for it since. Why? Because it\u2019s a real handmade antique in its own right. It is by no-means a fake. It\u2019s fabulous.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My much admired Tiffany Lamp has people saying \u201cyou can tell that\u2019s a real one not a fake\u201d<\/em>. I know it\u2019s a really lovely lamp and deserves the admiration. I don\u2019t correct people who mistake it for a genuine Tiffany, not that I\u2019m pretending is \u2018Tiffany\u2019, it\u2019s simply as I understand that people interpret every stained glass lamp is Tiffany – and they are simply saying it\u2019s nice quality!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In time my lamp will become an heirloom. It has the quality and craftsmanship that will last for hundreds of years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pleasure of owing a real authentic hand made tiffany style lamp is akin to a real antique one. They are no less beautiful, or involve less artistry than Tiffany.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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TIFFANY LAMPS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do we think we know about Tiffany’s Lamps<\/a>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The stylish high status lamps were being made, initially as gas or oil lamps. In the mid-century, these would have been converted to electric. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As electric became commonplace, it\u2019s rumoured that Edison himself suggested putting a light behind the stained glass to Tiffany. It\u2019s incredible when you think of these historical figures meeting and chatting; making history separately but collaborating socially. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of the designs made can be accredited to other talented artist within the Tiffany empire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clara Discoll <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Driscoll was head of the Tiffany Studios Women’s Glass Cutting Department (the “Tiffany Girls”), in New York City. Using patterns created from the original designs, these women selected and cut the glass to be used in the famous lamps. Driscoll designed more than thirty Tiffany lamps which were all produced by Tiffany Studios, among them the Wisteria, Dragonfly, Peony, and from all accounts her first \u2014 the Daffodil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Driscoll’s artistic potential was apparent and she was hired by Louis Comfort Tiffany to work at Tiffany Glass Company (later known as Tiffany Studios<\/a>) in 1888. She worked there off and on for more than 20 years, designing lamps and fancy goods as well as supervising the Women’s Glass Cutting Department. Engaged or married women were not allowed to work at the company, so Driscoll had to leave because of her marriage in 1889. She returned again when her husband died in 1929.
(WIKIPEADIA SOURCE)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course there would have been many collaborations within the Tiffany Studios, and often the women would not have gained any credit for their designs. This seems unfair, but times were different and Tiffany was a brand, and his talent pool will have been kept out of the limelight for a business reason. He promoted his own talents so clients bought from ‘him’.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So who was Tiffany? It sounds like he may be have been a bit of a control freak! He did everything; designed, produced, decorated and catapulted himself to house hold name. In bygone days, that was the role of a designer. Now, all of these elements are separate professions. Tiffany was a fine artists who was incredibly talented. He drew inspiration from nature with a particular interest in flowers leafs trees and insects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dragonfly design is distinctly Tiffany Studios. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Louis Comfort Tiffany; a Brief History: <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Born: 18th February 1848
Died: 17th Janurary 1933 (aged 85)
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The working life of the man began as a painter, but by age 27, he became interested in glass-making, undertaking work at several glasshouses in and around the Brooklyn area until 1878.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Initially seen by his Father (Charles Lewis Tiffany, founder of Tiffany & Co.) as a young man’s dream rather than a career, glass-making took a back step to Louis joining three other artists making wallpaper, furniture and textiles in 1879. The business failed after only four years, whereupon Louis began in earnest to improve the designs and quality of contemporary glass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His knowledge of interiors and lighting quickly saw him become sought after in elite society as an interior designer. Notable designs by him were the Mark Twain house in Hartford, Conneticut (which still remains) and the White House for President Chester Authur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite this success, glass-making had captured his imagination and he chose to close down the successful interior design business in 1885 to enable his concentration to focus on art in glass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He preferred using cheap glass in the beginning of this phase of his career, due to the mineral rich content that finer glass had removed. This provided the rich variety of colours and textures to the glass for which he is now so renowned for. He created the technique of ‘copper foiling’ which soldered the glass together in their intricate designs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He went from strength to strength in the glass-making field, creating stained glass windows and his first production of blown glass at his factory. At it’s peak, his factory employed more than 300 Artisans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He had done it; his reputation secured as one of the greatest glass designers of the era.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Courtesy of the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art<\/em>

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