One cannot talk about American glass or glass collectibles without discussing Louis Comfort Tiffany and the glass he made. Although he and his studios made artifacts from many materials, including bronze, pottery, silver and enamels, he is best known for the stained glass and glass lamps he made.
Tiffany began his glass career in 1885 when he established the Tiffany Glass Company to make stained glass windows. Following the large windows, he searched for a way to use the “waste” glass from those and began making stained glass lamp shades. These are the products which are best known to most people today,as they are more likely to be in the average person’s budget, whereas a stained glass window is not.
The Tiffany style lamp has many imitators. Tiffany stopped making them in 1924, but this style of lamp shade is still being made today by other companies. Therefore, one must be careful if a true Tiffany lamp is the object of the search. However, if you are just looking for this style, there are many lamps, floor and table, ceiling mount and sconces, to choose from.
Tiffany also developed several kinds of glass he used to make decorative objects. The most famous of these is Favrile, which has a iridescence gold finish on a colored glass base. This glass was formed into many nature-inspired vases and other glass objects in the style of Arte Nouveau. This glass also had its emulators, including the Aurene glass made by Steuben.
Tiffany glass is usually signed, and there are numerous books to help the beginning collector to identify a real Tiffany from its many emulators. Expect to pay a pretty penny for the real thing.
See Tiffany style.
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