A Tiffany lamp is a lamp with a shade made of many small pieces of coloured glass joined by metal seams. The name comes from Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848–1933) and his New York workshop, Tiffany Studios, which produced leaded glass lamps from the 1890s until the early 1930s. Today the words are used in two ways: for the original lamps made by Tiffany Studios, and for any lamp made in the same manner, usually called a Tiffany-style lamp.
Where the Tiffany lamp comes from
Tiffany Studios made its shades with the copper foil technique: each piece of glass is cut to shape, its edge is wrapped in a thin strip of copper foil, and the pieces are soldered together over a mould. This method allows much smaller pieces and tighter curves than the lead strips used in church windows, which is why Tiffany shades can show flowers, leaves and insects in fine detail. Many of the best-known designs, such as the Dragonfly and the Wisteria, are credited to Clara Driscoll, who led the studio's Women's Glass Cutting Department.
How to recognise the Tiffany style
- A shade built from many pieces of glass, not a single moulded shade.
- Dark seams between the pieces, which stay dark when the lamp is lit and draw the pattern.
- Coloured or marbled art glass, which looks different lit and unlit.
- A dark, bronze-toned base, often with a fluted column or an ornate foot.
Tiffany lamp or Tiffany-style lamp?
An original Tiffany Studios lamp is an antique sold through auction houses and specialist dealers. A Tiffany-style lamp is a new lamp made with the same idea: a shade of cut glass pieces joined by soldered seams. The lamps in our shop are Tiffany-style lamps; they are not Tiffany Studios pieces. Our stained glass lamp buying guide covers the difference in more detail.
The main shade shapes
- Floral dome: a rounded shade with flowers or leaves. The Blue Stained Glass Tiffany Lamp has panels of marbled blue art glass with lead lines curving like the veins of a leaf.
- Baroque dome: an ornate pattern with a scalloped edge, as on the Baroque Stained Glass Table Lamp, in light yellow or blue.
- Mission or geometric: straight lines and a square shade. The Tiffany Mission Style Table Lamp has a square shade in amber, yellow and orange crossed by light blue and white stripes.
- Lattice: a diamond grid, as on the Tiffany Gypsophila Bedside Lamp, with cream glass and a small clear crystal at every crossing.
- Figurative: an animal or object set in the glass, as on the Tiffany Cat Table Lamp, available in three designs.
How to choose a Tiffany-style table lamp
Three points decide the choice: the size, the shade width and the plug.
| Lamp | Shade width | Height |
|---|---|---|
| Blue Stained Glass Tiffany Lamp | 20 cm | 36.5 cm |
| Baroque Stained Glass Table Lamp | 20 cm | 36.5 cm |
| Tiffany Cat Table Lamp | 20 cm | 36.5 cm |
| Tiffany Gypsophila Bedside Lamp | 20 cm | 38 cm |
| Tiffany Mission Style Table Lamp | 28 cm | 36.5 cm |
- Bedside table: the four lamps with a 20 cm shade are sized for a nightstand, a small desk or a shelf.
- Desk or console: the Mission lamp has the widest shade, at 28 cm.
- Plug: check the plug options on the product page. The Blue Stained Glass Tiffany Lamp is offered with an EU, UK, AU or US plug, the Baroque lamp with an EU, UK or US plug.
Tiffany Studios lamps belong to the Art Nouveau movement. To see how the style differs from Art Deco and Mission, read our guide to Art Nouveau lamps.
Our stained glass range also includes a mushroom-shaped design: the Amanita Mushroom Table Lamp.
Choosing by shape or by motif? Our guide to Tiffany lamp shade shapes compares cone, pyramid, panel, bell and dome shades with their real sizes, and peacock and bird Tiffany lamps gathers the peacock, hummingbird, butterfly and horse designs.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Tiffany lamp?
A lamp with a shade made of many pieces of coloured glass joined by soldered seams, in the manner developed by Tiffany Studios in New York around 1900.
Are Tiffany-style lamps made by Tiffany?
No. Tiffany-style describes how the shade is made. Original Tiffany Studios lamps are antiques.
How big is a Tiffany table lamp?
The Tiffany-style table lamps in our collection are 36.5 to 38 cm high, with shades 20 to 28 cm wide.
See all models in our stained glass lamps collection.
