International Decorative Art

Dragonfly Lamp

Dragonfly Lamp

Design Date 1899; This lamp c.1907

Designer Clara Wolcott Driscoll (1861-1944, American)

Manufacturer Tiffany Studios (1900-1937), Corona, NY

Media bronze and glass

Dimensions 25 3/4 x 20 1/2 x 20 1/2 inches

Tiffany Studios often employed women to select the iconic colorful glass for their lampshades and other products. Clara Driscoll was the main designer for the Tiffany Dragonfly lampshades. She began designing the iconic dragonfly pattern around 1899. This specific lampshade is believed to have been designed around 1907 because it has thicker glass than those of early 1900. As light bulbs technologically advanced, the light bulbs emitted more heat and a thicker shade was needed. This particular design shows a band of dragonflies vertically circling the outside of the shade. The dragonfly wings are detailed in wire mesh.

ON VIEW in Art Nouveau Gallery 4

Markings unmarked

Credit Line Collection Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art. Photo courtesy of Antonio Virardi of Macklowe Gallery, NY.

Accession Number 2014.0122