Tiffany Studios

with a "Bamboo" Junior base

Christie's New York, April 20, 1996, lot 160

Overall in very good condition. The shade with approximately 6 cracks to the glass tiles dispersed throughout. The patinated bronze surfaces of the “Bamboo” base display an exceptionally deep and rich green patina with russet brown highlights. The base with some occasional light surface scratches, abrasions and gentle rubbing to the patina consistent with age and gentle use, and with some light surface soiling to the recessed contours. All of the sockets and switches appear to be original and undisturbed. With a period “Bamboo” finial. The lamp displays beautifully in person, displaying elegant proportions and the ideal complementary shade, base and finial pairing. The strikingly graphic leaves articulated throughout the lamp shade show a well-varied and rich glass selection, ranging from yellow-green to kelly-green to blue-green, all set against a luminous opalescent background with subtle streaks and hues of green and blue. The bamboo is beautifully articulated in varying shades of yellow-green with occasional accents of deep orange.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The Bamboo lampshade is one of a handful of models produced by Tiffany Studios that incorporated curved panels of glass, a labor-intensive and therefore time-consuming process in which the individual pieces, after being cut, were placed in the kiln and gently heated until they slumped (that is, bent) to conform to the contours of the small mold on which they had been positioned.  When annealed, the pieces were wrapped in copper foil and placed on a wood mold in the standard manner of lampshade assembly.

The Bamboo series of lamps – model numbers 1443, 1509, and 1521 – were introduced into the Tiffany Studios lampshade repertoire at some point shortly before the firm’s initial Price List, published in 1906, and appear to have been discontinued around the publication of the updated edition in 1913, perhaps due to the disproportionate time and cost incurred in their production.  Special value is assigned to those examples housed on original bamboo bases fitted with matching finials, as in this lot.

 Alastair Duncan, Author of Tiffany Lamps and Metalware: An Illustrated Reference to over 2000 Models and Louis C. Tiffany: The Garden Museum Collection