This Poppy Table Lamp is an early version of the shade likely designed by Clara Driscoll, famed Tiffany Girl and manager of the Women’s Glass Cutting Department at Tiffany Studios. This example of the model includes a crown of bronze poppy seed pods, a very early design feature which was eventually phased out as the company shifted towards the electrification of lamps and the use of reticulated metal heat caps.
The Poppy shades utilizes pierced brass filigree placed on the surface of the glass to articulate the veins of the leaves along the lower edge of the shade, while the centers of the flowers are formed by a piece of filigree with a linear design representing various elements of the pistil.
This example of the shade depicts variegated pink poppies with dramatic striations of blue, purple and green, in various stages of development. The glass of each petal was carefully selected to suggest the three-dimensionality. Along the lower edge, a horizontal band of leaves overlap in shades of pale green. The motif stands out against a background of early “confetti” or “foliage” Tiffany Glass ranging from light blue with green inclusions near the crown to green with purple inclusions near the lower edge. The thin border rows with thin borders formed by mottled green glass at the upper and lower edges.
The shade is paired with bronze Decorated Cushion table base in rich brown patina with a detailed chased motif.
This exceptional Poppy Shade matches almost exactly to an early watercolor study in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (67.655.7), likely executed by “Tiffany Girl” Alice Gouvy under Driscoll’s direction.
Height: 20 inches (50.8)
Diameter: 16 inches (40.6 cm)
References:
M. Eidelberg, A. Cooney Frelinghuysen, N. McClelland and L. Rachen, The Lamps of Louis Comfort Tiffany, New York, 2005, p. 72