Cottone Auctions

Louis Comfort Tiffany (American, 1848–1933)
Peony Lamp, c. 1910
Tiffany Studios, New York
Leaded favrile glass and patinated bronze
Shade and base both signed “TIFFANY STUDIOS NEW YORK”
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This exceptional Peony lamp represents Tiffany Studios at the height of its artistry. Across the broad, domed shade, luxuriant blossoms unfold in a complex field of color—deep crimsons, soft mauves, and rich greens—set against an unusually vivid cobalt-blue ground glass. This blue, seldom seen in Tiffany’s floral lamps, heightens the chromatic drama and evokes the peony’s brilliance against a twilight sky.
The petals themselves are formed from “curtain glass”, a textured, hand-rolled favrile sheet prized for its subtle ripples and striations. In transmitted light, these undulating surfaces lend the flowers a sense of motion and depth, transforming the shade into a living, illuminated garden.
The 22-inch shade rests upon a telescoping bronze base whose organic contours mirror the floral theme, achieving the Art Nouveau ideal of harmony between structure and nature. For Tiffany, light was not merely a means of illumination but a vehicle for emotional resonance—“the beauty of light itself,” distilled into color, texture, and form.
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