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The Lamps of Louis Comfort Tiffany

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Review of a Book on Tiffany's Unique Lamps

Mention the name Louis Comfort Tiffany and most people immediately think of his lamps with their beautiful jewel-like shades and unique designs.

Considering how famous and popular they have been since they were first put on sale, it's surprising that this is the first book in many years devoted exclusively to Tiffany lamps although a couple have been published since this one.

Two of the authors, Nancy A. McClelland and Lars Rachen, are experts in Tiffany's work and run their own company in private of sales of Tiffany lamps and other important 20th century decorative arts. Martin Eidelberg is Professor Emeritus, Art History, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and has written extensively on Tiffany while Alice Cooney Frelinghuysen is Curator of Decorative Arts at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Tiffany - Inspired by Nature

And by Electric Light

Pendant Lamp - Pattern: Laburnum - replica from the lamp by Louis Comfort Tiffany
(55 cm diameter, 30 cm hight, about 1200 glass pieces)
Copyright © Hannes Grobe - Creative Commons License

Perhaps the most surprising thing about Tiffany is that he produced his first stained glass window in 1878 at the age of 30. The following year, he collaborated with Thomas Edison, who invented the light bulb in the previous year, on designing the lighting for the Lyceum Theater in New York. The light bulb provided the inspiration for the development of his famous lamps as their beauty could be appreciated better when illuminated by electric light.

Louis Comfort Tiffany found inspiration for his designs in nature and in the gardens of his vast country estates on Long Island's North Shore. There he painted and photographed tree blossoms, vines, flowers and fauna that became the chief ornaments of the prized lamps which brought him international acclaim and secured his position in the history of art.

High Quality Photographs...

...Including Unique Lamps

This beautifully produced book contains stunning pictures of more than seventy exceptional lamps, many of which have been rarely seen. Some of the lamps included are unique as there are no other known examples. New photographic techniques used for the book reveal the ground breaking designs and the high standard of craftsmanship of these masterpieces in extraordinary detail.

The authors have had access to previously unpublished photographs, watercolours and working drawings by Tiffany and his artists which enabled them to show the steps required in the difficult and complex process of making the beautiful lamps from free hand sketch to finished form.

Even somebody who has no real interest in Louis Comfort Tiffany can appreciate the artistry and skill involved as well as the sheer beauty of the lamps.

Picture: Tiffany table lamp, c. 1899-1902 from the Carnegie Museum of Art
Copyright © Piotrus - Creative Commons License

My Opinion of the Book

Find out what I really think

The Lamps of Louis Comfort Tiffany

The Lamps of Louis Comfort Tiffany

by: Martin Eidelberg, Alice Cooney Frelinghuysen, Nancy McClelland, Lars Rachen

When I first got this book, I couldn't put it down. I just love it so much. The production values are high and the pictures are beautiful. It's almost impossible not to keep looking at them.

Don't think that, because there are 70 lamps featured, there are only 70 photographs. Many of the lamps are shown from different views allowing the reader to appreciate their full beauty. There are also close-up pictures of the fine details of the designs.

The essays in the book by Tiffany experts will extend the knowledge and understanding of most readers too.

I would recommend the book without reservation.

Of six reviews on Amazon.com, five give the book five stars and one gives it four stars.

Quick Facts About The Lamps of Louis Comfort Tiffany

Pendant Dragonfly Lamp - replica from the lamp by Louis Comfort Tiffany
(50 cm diameter, 20 cm high, about 400 glass pieces)
Copyright © Hannes Grobe - Creative Commons License


Authors: Martin Eidelberg, Alice Cooney Frelinghuysen, Nancy A. McClelland, Lars Rachen

Hardcover: 240 pages

Publisher: Vendome Press

Published: September 1, 2005

Language: English

ISBN: 0865651639

Product Dimensions: 12.1 x 10 x 1 inches

Two More Books about Tiffany Lamps

Alternatives or Additions to The Lamps of Louis Comfort Tiffany

Tiffany (Special Edition)

Tiffany (Special Edition)

Providing a overview of the fifty-year career and the highly innovative and creative work of Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933), this book contains about 400 color plates and an illustrated biography/bibliography of Louis Comfort Tiffany as well as paying homage to his genius.

It has just two reviews on Amazon.com, both of them give five stars.

Tiffany by Design: An In-Depth Look at Tiffany Lamps (Schiffer Book for Designers & Collectors)

Tiffany by Design: An In-Depth Look at Tiffany Lamps (Schiffer Book for Designers & Collectors)

by: Nina Gray

Here the author looks at Tiffany lamps made between 1900 and 1918 with over 80 colour photographs showing how shade patterns range from deceptively simple to extraordinarily complex and the way motifs were varied and colours changed as they were reused in different lamps.

This book received one review of five stars.

Close Up of a Tiffany Lamp

Look at the intricate detail

Detail from a Fine Rosebush Leaded Glass and Bronze Table Lamp
Detail from a Fine Rosebush Leaded Glass and Bronze Table Lamp Giclee Print
Tiffany Studios
Buy at AllPosters.com

Do you like the design of lamps made by Tiffany?

Are these the kind of lamps you would like in your home?

Maybe you agree with me that Tiffany's lamps are beautiful with their intricate designs and bright, jewel-like colours.

Alternatively, you might think they are fussy and over the top and you might prefer simple elegance.

Vote now!

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Replica Tiffany Lamps

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Double Poinsettia Lamp

Look at the lamp's base as well as its shade.

Double Poinsettia Leaded Glass and Bronze Table Lamp
Double Poinsettia Leaded Glass and Bronze Table LampGiclee Print
Tiffany Studios
Buy at AllPosters.com

Tiffany Style Lamps on eBay

Not many of us have the money for a genuine Tiffany lamp but there are more affordable Tiffany style ones available on eBay.

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Tiffany Lamp Digital Animation

Clever use of the patterns on a Tiffany lamp to provide the animation for this short video.

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