Tiffany Studios

Mr. Harold Wesson, circa 1910

Mr. and Mrs. James Shenas, Massachusetts, 1949

Christie's New York, June 13, 1987, lot 190

Alastair Duncan, Tiffany at Auction, New York, 1981, p. 74 (for the present lot illustrated)

Boca Raton Museum of Art, ed., Louis Comfort Tiffany: Artistry in Glass, The Seymour and Evelyn Holtzman Collection, Boca Raton, FL, 2007, p. 52 (for the present lot illustrated)

Alastair Duncan, Tiffany Lamps and Metalware, Woodbridge, Suffolk, 2019, p. 338, no. 1363-1364 (for the present lot illustrated)

Boca Raton Museum of Art, Louis Comfort Tiffany: Artistry in Glass, The Seymour and Evelyn Holtzman Collection, Boca Raton, FL, 2007

Clara Driscoll (1861-1944) had two previous stints working for Louis Tiffany when she was hired a third time in October 1897. Already trained as a glass cutter and designer in the company’s Ecclesiastical Department, Driscoll was the natural choice to head Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company’s newly-formed Women’s Glass Cutting Department. While perhaps best known as the designer of the iconic Wisteria lamp, her first leaded glass floral shade created by the copper foil technique was reputed to be the Allamanda.

The flower, native to the Americas, grows in an almost a vine-like profusion and Louis Tiffany selected a variety to include when landscaping the grounds surrounding Laurelton Hall. Driscoll designed the model in late 1898 as a large conical electrolier with a 25-inch diameter. It was later modified and was listed in the Tiffany Studios 1906 Price Guide as “601. 28” ALLAMANDA, straight sides, circular Complete $165.” The shade was also offered as a smaller, 18-inch table lamp.

The example offered here, with its flattened domical form, is likely unique and was probably a special order. Three similarly shaped shades, one depicting oranges, another lemons and the last grapes, have appeared on the market, all of which were never duplicated. The flowers on this shade are stunning in their variety of color, including pink, peach, yellow, white and green petals, some with colored streaks or opalescent mottling. These blossoms, situated among emerald green leaves and stems, are placed on a vivid blue, green and plum background.

This shade has, unlike the three aforementioned, has a graceful lighting fixture that permits it to be suspended from the ceiling instead of being flush-mounted. The fixture features 6 iridescent gold Favrile glass shades that provide a gentle overall illumination and beautifully complement the Allamandas.