The Lamps of Louis Comfort Tiffany [Hardcover]

Martin Eidelberg (Author), Alice Cooney Frelinghuysen (Author), Nancy McClelland (Author), Lars Rachen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 19, 2005

This is the first book devoted to Tiffany lamps in more than 20 years. Experts in the field have made a selection of exceptional lamps-many of which have rarely been seen or published-and each one has been newly photographed with the latest photographic techniques to reveal in extraordinary detail the artistic quality and high craftsmanship of these masterpieces of decorative art.

Martin Eidelberg and Alice Cooney Frelinghuysen have contributed essays on the history of the lamps, enlarging our understanding of Louis Comfort Tiffany's achievement. They have also drawn upon a host of previously unpublished photographs, paintings, and watercolors by Tiffany and other artists in his employ, as well as on working drawings and studio photographs, to evoke the lost gardens and interiors of Tiffany's country estate, Laurelton Hall, that so inspired him. They outline the development and manufacture of the Tiffany lamp from freehand sketch to the finished form, as well as the chief decorative themes in Tiffany's glass masterpieces and their relation to the work of other fin de siècle glassmakers. In this book, light, color, and the inspiration of nature co-mingle to produce a deliciously sensuous experience.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Martin Eidelberg is Professor Emeritus, Art History, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and has written extensively on Tiffany.

Alice Cooney Frelinghuysen is Curator of Decorative Arts at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Nancy McClelland is an art consultant specializing in the decorative arts.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Vendome Press (October 19, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0865651639
• ISBN-13: 978-0865651630
• Product Dimensions: 12.1 x 10 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #129,157 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #16 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Antiques & Collectibles > Furniture
  • #16 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Antiques & Collectibles > Glass & Glassware

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The definitive book on the subject, for glass artists or just droolers, July 7, 2006

By 

Esther Schindler (Scottsdale, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Lamps of Louis Comfort Tiffany (Hardcover)

I'd postponed writing a review of this book because I imagined that it was only fair to read the entire text before I wrote about it. I've never really gotten to concentrate on the words, though, because the photos are so, *SO* astonishingly beautiful.

This isn't simply a collection of lamp pictures, taken as though they're head-and-shoulders photos in a police lineup. Many of the lamps have multiple views, from very small (to show off how drapery glass was used, for instance), to a general detail shot, to photographs of the bases the company used to accompany the shade. The photography quality is excellent; you really see everything you need. A professional glass artist (or drooling amateur like myself) can see the details and understand why these lamps set the bar for stained glass. Even if you know NOTHING about the subject, you'll be blown away by the overwhelming prettiness of the material.

I'm not sure if this book represents every Tiffany lamp ever made, but it must come close. Additional images show related material, such as photos of Tiffany's Long Island home (wow), cartoons for lamps we've never seen, and Tiffany Studios' 1904 advertisements for its lamps. Most of the book, however, is a study of the lamps themselves, organized by topic (such as fauna or wetlands), and analyzed in some detail.

When I drag my eyes away, I can recognize that the prose is as complete as the photographs. In addition to the historical context in which the lamps were created, there's plenty of history and analysis about their manufacture. ("Another watercolor rendering in the collection in the Metropolitan Museum is for a Snowball shade [figure 93]. Here, because of the model's domical form, the designer compensated for the curvature of the surface by opening the top sections of the shade into a series of regular projections, just as a cartographer has to allow for the curvature of the globe.") Some of it is a bit dry and academic, at least for those of us who are here primarily to say, "ooh, how pretty!" but if you cared about the details, you would definitely appreciate its depth. In other words: there's plenty to look at, and there's plenty to read, depending on what you're looking for.

You can find a few other collections of Tiffany's works, but I can't imagine you'll find a better one.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely Book, March 21, 2006

By 

Stephanie Lostimolo - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Lamps of Louis Comfort Tiffany (Hardcover)

I saw this book in a museum bookstore and immediately came home and purchased it on Amazon. I'm a stained glass student and looking at this book really inspired me. The photographs are stunning and the book is packed full of great information about Louis Comfort Tiffany and his studio. Included are his drawings for a few windows, information about the methods used to make them, and there's even info on the process used to create the glass. Very informative and a joy to look at.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Greatest Stained Glass Photo's I've Seen, July 21, 2008

By 

J. de Baun (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Lamps of Louis Comfort Tiffany (Hardcover)

I've never seen a finer book of Tiffany Lamp photographs. The photographer for this book developed a new technique for photographing stained glass and this is a landmark book. There are photo's in this book of some of the rarest of all the Tiffany lamps - many I've never seen before. Buy this book before it goes out of print!