The Most Expensive Tiffany Studios Lamp

Tiffany Lamps are iconic and known for their beauty and elegance. Tiffany Studios originally produced lamps for home decor, but over the years, these lamps have become highly valuable collector's items. Some original Tiffany lamps sell for thousands and sometimes even millions of dollars due to their rarity, vibrant colors, elegant opaque glass and well-crafted details.

What Makes Tiffany Lamps Special?

Tiffany Studios lamps are handcrafted stained glass masterpieces. Originally designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany, these stunning light fixtures reflect his passion for innovation, nature and vibrant colors. Tiffany Studios lamps are special because they were the first lamps of their kind, crafted with a type of glass manufacturing and binding that had never been used before.

When Tiffany first presented his lamps to the world, they were sold as fine home decor items. Today, they are highly sought-after for their durable craftsmanship, incredible rarity and stunning beauty.

Innovation and Craftsmanship

Louis Comfort Tiffany transformed the lamp-making industry with his innovative ideas. He looked for a new glass manufacturing method and eventually created Favrile glass, an opalescent glass produced by combining and manipulating several colors. Favrile glass consists of various hues that result from mixing the glass colors rather than painting them. Favrile glass became famous for its stunning colors and surface iridescence.

Tiffany also developed the copper-foil technique as a lighter and stronger way to bond glass pieces together. The copper-foil method involves fitting copper to the edges of glass pieces and soldering the pieces together. This method grants more freedom for detailed and imaginative designs.

Tiffany Studios lamps were crafted by some of the United States' greatest artisans. Men and women in the cutting department would hand-select small glass sections from thousands of glass sheets to construct the lampshades and create intricate patterns. Constructing the lamps was a laborious process, and Tiffany hired the finest craftspeople to carry out his designs.

Rarity

Tiffany Studios lamps are rare because production ended in the 20th century. Some of the rarest Tiffany lamps are limited to only a few existing ones, making them incredibly valuable. The rarer an item is, the more sought-after it becomes — its rarity makes it special and unique, and rare Tiffany lamps are truly unique pieces of history and art.

Appearance

Tiffany based his unique lamp designs on nature and all its brilliant colors, and he compared his glass to butterfly wings when he debuted it at Chicago's 1893 World's Fair. Tiffany lamps resemble many aspects of nature, such as beautiful insects, plants, trees and aquatic life. From dragonflies to pond lilies, Tiffany lamps reflect the gorgeous shapes and colors of the natural world.

What Are Some of the Rarest Tiffany Lamps?

Collectors, museums and interior designers often seek Tiffany Studios lamps because they are beautiful, well-crafted and incredibly rare. Since many original Tiffany Studios lamps exist in small numbers, they are highly sought after. Some of the rarest and most expensive Tiffany lamps include the following:

Tulip Table Lamp

Tiffany Studio's Tulip Table Lamp is a vibrant floral motif lamp. It features patinated bronze and beautiful leaded glass that changes tone under different lighting conditions. The lamp's floral motif is enhanced by the shade's scalloped edges. The Tulip Table Lamp is valued at approximately $40,000.

Curtain Border Floor Lamp

Tiffany Studio's Curtain Border Floor Lamp is 78 inches tall with a bronze base and long vertical glass pieces. It features a tapering brick pattern on a geometric-style shade. The base's rounded bottom extends toward the shade and breaks off into three sections at the light bulb socket. The Curtain Border Floor Lamp last sold for $52,500.

Drop Head Dragonfly Floor Lamp

The Tiffany Drop Head Dragonfly Floor Lamp is a unique light fixture featuring a popular Tiffany Studios motif, dragonflies. It stands 64 inches tall and features nine blue dragonflies along the lampshade's lower border. The dragonfly wings create an intricate pattern, and amber jewels highlight the shade's opaque yellow color. The Drop Head Dragonfly Floor Lamp is valued at approximately $55,000.

Peony Table Lamp

The Peony Table Lamp stands 23 inches tall and features vibrant peony flowers. Pink, white and yellow flowers are featured against blue confetti glass, green foliage and green borders. The lamp has a gilded bronze base, and it last sold for $78,650.

Peony Border Floor Lamp

Tiffany Studio's Peony Border Floor Lamp is worth approximately $151,250 and features floral details with geometric shapes. A geometric pattern repeats across the top of the lampshade, and the border features red and pink peonies with amber and green leaves. Bands curl at the bottom of the rounded bronze base as an additional decorative element.

Leaded Glass Aquatic Fish Lamp

The Tiffany Leaded Glass Aquatic Fish Lamp features a bronze base embellished with decorative components and a dark brown-green patina. The lampshade features five fish against an aquatic background of blue-green glass and seaweed details. The Leaded Glass Aquatic Fish Lamp is valued at approximately $193,000.

Oriental Poppy Chandelier

Tiffany Studio's Oriental Poppy Chandelier is worth approximately $665,000. It has various features, such as bronze fixtures, a six-socket light cluster, a dome decorated with poppies and gold Favrile glass pieces. The signature reads, “Tiffany Studios New York 1902.”

Pink Lotus Table Lamp

The Pink Lotus Tiffany lamp, worth approximately $2.8 million, is very rare. Few originals exist today, making it one of the company's most valuable remaining lamps. The Pink Lotus design features unique elements such as an intricate mosaic base and flower-enclosed bulbs.

Pond Lily Table Lamp

Tiffany Studio's Pond Lily table lamp was designed in the early 1900s, and it is currently the most valuable Tiffany lamp. It was one of the company's rarest and most expensive lamps with an original retail price of $400. It is believed that only 14 lamps exist in this design, and five of them are featured in museum collections such as the Museum of Modern Art. The lamp is worth more than $3.3 million.

Buy or Sell a Tiffany Lamp at Fontaine's

If you're looking to bring the elegance of Tiffany Studios to your home or auction a lamp you own, buy or sell a Tiffany lamp at Fontaine's Auction Gallery. Our experts provide complimentary auction estimates to help you sell your items at their maximum value, and we make sure buyers are purchasing authentic, original antique items.

At Fontaine's Auction Gallery, we specialize in Tiffany Lamps, and we can make sure your auction experience is smooth and straightforward. Purchase a beautiful Tiffany Studios lamp from Fontaine's to own a truly original piece of history, or sell a Tiffany Studios lamp with us to receive the highest value for your antique item.