Tiffany Studios
Rare Moorish Lantern

American, circa 1905
Length of fixture including permanent hardware: 24 inches (60.9 cm)

Like many of the lanterns produced by Tiffany Studios in the early 20th century, this example is likely the only known of this particular configuration and was probably a custom commission for a specific interior.

Louis Comfort Tiffany's fascination with the art and design of Eastern cultures manifested in many of the objects produced by Tiffany Studios, and this lantern is no exception: the form references the art and architecture of the Far East including Moorish minarets and lanterns.

When the lantern is not powered, the leaded Tiffany Glass presents as an overall pale milky blue/white color. However, when the fixture is illuminated, subtle but deliberate glass selection is revealed: the lower cylindrical portion of the shade features a central band of mottled Tiffany glass in a warmer golden tone, in contrast to the translucent opalescent glass which forms the domed top.

The bottom of the lantern curves under to reveal a "hatch" formed by a gold iridescent Tiffany Glass "Turtle Back" Tile with a small circular bronze finial serving as a clasp. This design feature allows for access to the bulbs and interior hardware while also diffusing light beneath the shade through the glow of the Tiffany Glass tile.

A horizontal band of openwork convex metal discs, along with vertical slits in the affixed heat cap, would have allowed for ventilation of the early light bulbs.

For a period photograph from Tiffany Studios of a (now lost) wall fixture featuring a similar lantern, see:
Alastair Duncan, Tiffany At Auction (Rizzoli New York: 1981), pg. 242, fig. 721.

American, circa 1905
Length of fixture including permanent hardware: 24 inches (60.9 cm)

Like many of the lanterns produced by Tiffany Studios in the early 20th century, this example is likely the only known of this particular configuration and was probably a custom commission for a specific interior.

Louis Comfort Tiffany's fascination with the art and design of Eastern cultures manifested in many of the objects produced by Tiffany Studios, and this lantern is no exception: the form references the art and architecture of the Far East including Moorish minarets and lanterns.

When the lantern is not powered, the leaded Tiffany Glass presents as an overall pale milky blue/white color. However, when the fixture is illuminated, subtle but deliberate glass selection is revealed: the lower cylindrical portion of the shade features a central band of mottled Tiffany glass in a warmer golden tone, in contrast to the translucent opalescent glass which forms the domed top.

The bottom of the lantern curves under to reveal a "hatch" formed by a gold iridescent Tiffany Glass "Turtle Back" Tile with a small circular bronze finial serving as a clasp. This design feature allows for access to the bulbs and interior hardware while also diffusing light beneath the shade through the glow of the Tiffany Glass tile.

A horizontal band of openwork convex metal discs, along with vertical slits in the affixed heat cap, would have allowed for ventilation of the early light bulbs.

For a period photograph from Tiffany Studios of a (now lost) wall fixture featuring a similar lantern, see:
Alastair Duncan, Tiffany At Auction (Rizzoli New York: 1981), pg. 242, fig. 721.