How an Art-World Expert Learned to Love Tiffany Lamps

On a July morning, as Paris prepared for the Olympics, I embarked on a sport of my own: exploring the world of Tiffany lamps. Their charm had previously been lost on me, but I was struck by a photo of a young Steve Jobs sitting beneath one, and I wondered if there were more to them than I’d noticed. My tastes had recently meandered through Rococo ornaments and 18th-century porcelain, obsessions satisfied by a stroll through the Louvre. This new fascination proved more elusive. After extensive searching, I discovered a single Tiffany lamp tucked away at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs.

The Wisteria lamp is one of the pieces behind the current craze for Louis Comfort Tiffany’s work.

Paris played a significant role in inspiring Louis Comfort Tiffany. The son of Tiffany & Co. founder Charles Lewis Tiffany, Louis trained as a painter and traveled widely in his twenties, forming friendships with Parisian artists. His visit to the Universal Exhibition of 1889 introduced him to Emile Gallé’s work, which impacted Tiffany’s creative spirit. When he returned to America, he pioneered new techniques and patented his signature Favrile glass.

Tiffany elevated the craft of opalescent glass panels, but lamps represent the pinnacle of his decorative arts career. Tiffany’s work gained acclaim at the 1900 Paris Universal Exhibition, where he and Clara Driscoll—director of his women’s glass cutting department—won prizes including the Legion of Honor.

This three-part Tiffany window, recently acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, will go on display this fall as part of the Centennial installations in the museum’s American Wing.

Pieces like the Wisteria lamp continue to amaze, with recent prices exceeding $1 million and an army of admirers on TikTok. While Tiffany is celebrated in the U.S.—the Met recently bought a three-part window that will be installed in its American Wing in November—his artistry deserves renewed recognition in Europe. The only Paris show dedicated to his work was held at the Musée du Luxembourg in 2006—more than a century after the 1900 Exhibition. Let’s hope it doesn’t take that long for the next one.

This story appears in the October 2024 issue of Town & Country. SUBSCRIBE NOW

Laura Kugel is a member of the sixth generation of the renowned Parisian gallery, Galerie Kugel, specializing in pre-20th century European art. The gallery offers a uniquely wide range of specialties, from Renaissance jewelry to 18th century French furniture. Laura also serves on the Board of Trustees of TEFAF.