This Tiffany Lamp features an early version of a leaded glass Tulip shade with flowers depicted in a decidedly more Aesthetic Movement style than the later examples produced by Tiffany Studios, in which a field of naturalistically rendered tulips recedes into the distance. Though this design has been referred to as the Crocus shade for many years, the model number associated with this shade was listed in Tiffany Studios' price lists as the Tulip Cluster Shade.
In this example of the shade, highly stylized tulips are depicted in a series of symmetrical downward-curving arcs. The flowers are articulated in dramatically mottled Tiffany Glass in shades of orange with touches of pale green. The background of the shade in a deep green mottled glass contrasts with the brighter flowers.
The Tulip Shades were likely designed by Clara Driscoll and the "Tiffany Girls." A watercolor study of yellow tulips by “Tiffany Girl” Lillian Palmié held by the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art (accession no. 89-008) depicts a bunch of drooping orange tulips in a similar composition to the flowers seen in this early shade design.
The shade rests on a rare early three-armed Tiffany Lamp base which was designed initially for oil or kerosene; the urn portion of the base features elaborate swirling decoration with repoussé detailing. This original and rare Tiffany Lamp Base has been converted for electricity.
An electrified Tulip Cluster lamp was selected by Louis Comfort Tiffany for his display at the 1902 World's Fair in Turin, Italy.
Height: 18 ¼ inches (46.5 cm)
Diameter: 16 inches (39.5 cm)