Tiffany Lamp With Butterflies

To identify a Tiffany table lamp, first take a close look at the base. Some pieces will bear a stamp or label that says, "Tiffany Studios," and newer lamps may also feature a serial number. By comparing the number and markings to information and images shared by trusted online resources, you can begin the identification process. If your lamp isn't marked, the base construction can provide more clues about the maker. Tiffany lamps usually feature bronze bases that feel weighty. Older models typically have a gray metal ring on their bottoms as well. In addition to examining the base, try turning the lamp on for a while and then touching the stained glass shade. Tiffany lamps tend to stay cool due to the thickness of the glass, so if yours feels hot, it may be the work of a different manufacturer. When in doubt, use the identification services of a certified appraiser or knowledgeable antique dealer. Shop a collection of Tiffany lamps on 1stDibs.

1stDibs sells a variety of high-quality Tiffany-style lamps at various price points. Some are from the mid-century modern movement and others are from the Art Deco period.

No, Tiffany Studios no longer makes lamps. On the secondhand market, antique Tiffany Studios table lamps and other decorative glass objects are the most recognizable and prized of the manufactory’s works. 

The hand-crafted kerosene and early electric lighting fixtures created at Tiffany Studios now rank among the most coveted decorative objects in the world. Tiffany designs of any kind are emblematic of taste and craftsmanship, and Tiffany glass refers to far more than stained-glass windows and decorative glass objects. The iconic multimedia studio’s offerings include stained-glass floor lamps, chandeliers and enameled metal vases. 

The name Tiffany generally prompts thoughts of two things: splendid gifts in robin’s-egg blue boxes and exquisite stained glass. In 1837, Charles Lewis Tiffany co-founded the former — Tiffany & Co., one of America’s most prominent purveyors of luxury goods — while his son, Louis Comfort Tiffany, is responsible for exemplars of the latter.

Louis Comfort Tiffany was undoubtedly the most influential and accomplished American decorative artist in the decades that spanned the late 19th and early 20th centuries. And while the lion’s share of credit for Tiffany Studios table lamps and other fixtures has gone to Louis, it was actually Clara Driscoll (1861–1944), an Ohio native and head of the Women’s Glass Cutting Department for 17 years, who was the genius behind the Tiffany lamps that are most avidly sought by today’s collectors.

Find antique Tiffany Studios lamps on 1stDibs.