Pond Lily Table Lamp

c. 1902–10

Pond Lily Table Lamp, c. 1902–10. Tiffany Studios (American, New York, 1902–1932). Favrile glass, bronze; overall: 53.3 cm (21 in.); diameter of base: 53.3 x 23.5 cm (21 x 9 1/4 in.); width at top: 53.3 x 35.6 cm (21 x 14 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Bequest of Charles Maurer 2018.285 The dawn of the 20th century spurred fresh approaches to design. Louis Comfort Tiffany’s great contribution to this new art movement, termed the Art Nouveau, was not only the shimmering iridescence of his Favrile glass but also the naturalistic compositions of his lamps and windows, which brought him commercial and critical success in both Europe and America. Symbolic themes, such as this lamp's dark blooms of the pond lily in a swampy landscape, became a hallmark of Tiffany's Art Nouveau design. It won a grand prize for Tiffany Studios at the 1902 international exposition in Turin, Italy. The dawn of electricity made this lamp possible, transforming a work of sculpture into a useful object.