TIFFANY STUDIOS
TIFFANY STUDIOS
TIFFANY STUDIOS
TIFFANY STUDIOS
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Property from a Distinguished Collection
TIFFANY STUDIOS

Rare 'Oriental Poppy' Floor Lamp, circa 1910

Details
TIFFANY STUDIOS
Rare 'Oriental Poppy' Floor Lamp, circa 1910
with 'Pig Tail' heat cap
leaded glass, patinated bronze
76 ¾ in. (195 cm) high, 26 in. (66 cm) diameter of shade
shade impressed TIFFANY STUDIOS NEW YORK 24045
base impressed TIFFANY STUDIOS NEW YORK 376
Provenance
In the collection of the present owner prior to circa 1975
Literature
Dr. E. Neustadt, Lamps of Tiffany, New York, 1970, pp. 36, no. 35 (base model); 160, no. 224 (shade model)
R. Koch, Louis C. Tiffany’s Glass, Bronzes, Lamps, New York, 1971, p. 191, nos. 7 (shade and base model), and 8-9 (base model)
L. Buffet-Challié, Le Modern Style, Paris, 1975, p. 181, no. 4 (base model)
A. Duncan, Tiffany at Auction, New York, 1981, pp. 100, no. 272 (base model); 104, no. 281 (base model); 148, no. 390 (base model); 222, no. 643 (base model); 223, nos. 647 (base model), 648 (shade model) and 649 (base model)
P. Crist, Tiffany Lamps: A History, Mosaic Shades, Volume I, Santa Fe Springs, 2023, pp. 142, no. 5-135 (base model); 179, no. 6-111 (base model); 224, no. 7-114 (base model); 225, no. 7-118 (shade and base model); 260, no. 8-120 (shade and base model); 270, no. 9-18 (base model); 272, no. 9-23 (base model); 276, no. 9-36 (base model); 290, nos. 9-87 and 88 (base model); 294, nos. 9-101 and 102 (base model)
A. Duncan, Tiffany Lamps and Metalware, Woodbridge, Suffolk, 2019, pp. 227, no. 884 (shade model); 229, nos. 893-895 (base model)
Sale Room Notice
Please note the title for this lot is 'Oriental Poppy', and not as is in the printed catalog.

Brought to you by

Daphné Riou
Daphné Riou SVP, Senior Specialist, Head of Americas

Lot Essay

Japanese influence on western artisans can be seen in nearly all mediums – originating from early Muromachi Period to the long reigning Edo Period, Japanese porcelain, lacquer wares and pictorial screens offered an abundance of inspiration for newly established western kilns in Germany and France of early 18th century, and continued their influence further afoot to America at the turn of the 20th century, where Louis Comfort Tiffany established his Tiffany Studios and glass workshops.

During the late 1800s, Japonisme – the Western fascination with Japanese art, design and culture – prominently influenced Tiffany. As a self-proclaimed horticulturalist, Tiffany appreciated the native plants of the eastern coast of America, but also cultivated exotic and rare blossoms on the grounds of his famed Long Island retreat, Laurelton Hall. Here, wisterias, prunus branches and poppies would bloom throughout the year.

Not only did Tiffany surround himself with the living nature of the eastern aesthetic, he also maintained in his personal collection porcelains from Asia. One can easily see the similarities between Japanese kakiemon porcelain – of characteristic asymmetric yet well-balanced design, with a palette of red, yellow, blue and turquoise-green enamels – typically depicting chrysanthemum (the national flower of Japan), along with prunus and poppy blossoms -- these prevailing traits reign strong in the present lot.

The 26 in. Poppy is one of the largest shades produced by the Studios. It followed the earlier 17 in. and 20 in. Poppy, each of conical silhouette, and was considerably more costly to produce. This rare shade model is exhibited here in a rich color palette of vermillion, scarlet and burgundy reds, with the occasional ruby red, for the unruffling petals of the dense poppies. As these luscious blooms draw the viewer in, one notices several reaching buds, waiting to burst open and hit their note in the full symphony of color. A sunny yellow background glass alludes to an early daybreak – symbols of dawn and spring. The foliage is a mottled glass in cerulean, teal, and arctic blue, with stems supporting the blossoms olive and sage green.

This pictorial depth witnessed on this shade ties Tiffany’s wonderment of nature and color – a fascination that lives beyond the era in which it was born.

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