Tiffany Studios New York "Belted Turtleback" Table Lamp
This Tiffany Studios New York "Belted Turtleback" leaded glass table lamp features a graduating pattern of perfectly-imperfect matched green geometric tiles, interrupted in dramatic fashion by a band of iridescent green and slightly organic-shaped "Turtleback" tiles for a fully monochromatic, yet still dynamic, color palette. The weighty "Turtleback" elements contrast so neatly with the smooth, petite tiles that, although they are of the exact same color, they create a fabulous tension within the design. This unique table lamp sits atop a rare green and red patinated bronze base with a pierced "onion bulb" design.
- Product Details
- Curator's Notes
Item #: YL-19613
Artist: Tiffany Studios New York
Circa: 1900
Dimensions: 20" diameter (shade), 30" height (full lamp with base)
Materials: Leaded glass, Bronze
Shade Signed: “Tiffany Studios New York 1419-11”
Base Signed: “Tiffany Studios New York”
Literature: Shade pictured in Tiffany Lamps and Metalware: An illustrated reference to over 2000 models, by Alastair Duncan, p. 131, plate #1434; Similar base pictured in Tiffany Lamps and Metalware: An illustrated reference to over 2000 models, by Alastair Duncan, Woodbridge, Suffolk: Antique Collectors' Club, 1988, p. 85, plate 330
"Turtleback" tiles were an early invention of Louis Comfort Tiffany, consisting of amber or blue glass and coated with an iridescence. His experiments predated the founding of Tiffany Studios and distinguished him as a luminary of glass innovation. For the texture of his “turtleback” shells, Tiffany was inspired by the Neolithic Egyptian turtle carapace scale rings and bracelets excavated in Cyprus.