TIFFANY STUDIOS | "Peony" Table Lamp

with a telescoping reticulated “Queen Anne’s Lace” base

For the shade:
Sotheby Parke Bernet, New York, April 1, 1977, lot 122
Charles R. Wood Foundation, Glen Falls, NY
Sotheby's New York, June 8, 2005, lot 182
The Geyer Collection
Sotheby's New York, December 15, 2012, lot 226
Acquired from the above by the present owner

Dr. Egon Neustadt, The Lamps of Tiffany, New York, 1970, pp. 151-153 (for the shade)
Alastair Duncan, Tiffany At Auction, New York, 1981, pp. 85 and 112 (for the shade)
William Feldstein, Jr. and Alastair Duncan, The Lamps of Tiffany Studios, New York, 1983, p. 17 (for the shade)
Takeo Horiuchi, ed., The World of Louis Comfort Tiffany: A Selection from the Anchorman Collection, Nagoya, Japan, 1994, p. 77 (for the identical shade and base pairing)
Vivienne Couldrey, The Art of Louis Comfort Tiffany, Secaucus, NJ, 1997, p. 183 (for the shade)
Alastair Duncan, Louis C. Tiffany: The Garden Museum Collection, Woodbridge, Suffolk, 2004, p. 301 (for the identical shade and base pairing)
Martin Eidelberg, Alice Cooney Frelinghuysen, Nancy A. McClelland and Lars Rachen, The Lamps of Louis Comfort Tiffany, New York, 2005, p. 155 (for the shade)
Alastair Duncan, Tiffany Lamps and Metalware, Woodbridge, Suffolk, 2007, pp. 73, 155 and 213 (for the shade)
Martin Eidelberg, Nina Gray and Margaret K. Hofer, A New Light on Tiffany: Clara Driscoll and the Tiffany Girls, exh. cat., New York Historical Society, 2007, p. 46, fig. 17 (for the shade)
David A. Hanks, Louis Comfort Tiffany, Treasures from the Driehaus Collection, New York, 2013, p. 20 (for the shade)
Timeless Beauty, The Art of Louis Comfort Tiffany, The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art, Atglen, PA, 2016, p. 120 (for the shade)
Margaret K. Hofer and Rebecca Klassen, The Lamps of Tiffany Studios: Nature Illuminated, New York, 2016, pp. 107 (for the shade) and 108 (for the identical shade and base pairing)

Overall in very good condition. This shade displays a superb, rich pink color palette, ranging from fuschia to magenta to deep red, with inflections of violet, lilac and pale pink. The peonies, depicted in various stages of bloom, are offset by vivid foliage passages articulated in bright shamrock and seafoam green. The background passages are further accented with rich tones of ultramarine and aqua blue. The shade with approximately 16 hairline cracks dispersed throughout, stable. The shade with some surface soiling concentrated to the contours adjacent to the leadlines. The shade with some minor seam separations to the leadlines concentrated to the upper register near the shade ring, resulting in some minor light passage through the leadlines, stable and not visually distracting, consistent with age and typical of shade models of this scale and diameter. The leading on the exterior with some occasional minor abrasions, not visually distracting. The interior of the shade with some evidence of releading in select areas, including the reinforcement wires. The shade with one tile that appears to have been replaced with well-matched glass that is visually harmonious to the shade. The reticulated bronze Queen Anne’s Lace base is in very good condition and presents with a rich russet brown patina. The base with scattered minor surface scratches, abrasions, light wear and scattered minor losses to the patina consistent with age and gentle use. The telescoping element is in good working condition. With period sockets and paddle switches. With a period finial in very good condition with scattered minor surface scratches and abrasions consistent with age and gentle use. A magnificent example of this iconic model displaying a richly saturated glass selection and strong pictorial depth.
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.