WHAT: When a Tiffany Studios table lamp with a leaded glass shade in a blue dragonfly drop-head design brought $515,475 at a James D. Julia auction in Maine recently, few were surprised. Done in shades of mottled purple, blue, green and brown glass, the lamp features a 22-inch shade and an adjustable bronze base.
MORE: L.C. Tiffany often used nature and Eastern influence in his designs. In the early 1900s, the dragonfly theme was a favorite at Tiffany Studios, where table and floor lamps were made with assorted dragonfly shades on varied bases.
SMART COLLECTORS KNOW: Widely copied since Tiffany Studios set the standard, the dragonfly theme is available to this day in leaded glass shades on table lamps, hanging lamps or floor lamps in a range of skill and taste tailored to every wallet.
HOT TIP: Long favored by the Japanese as a symbol of transformation, dragonflies were a popular theme during the heyday of Tiffany Studios around the turn of the 1900s. Blue shades are just one variety; others were done in yellows/browns, greens, iridescent, or mottled glass.
BOTTOM LINE: Especially fine for traditional reasons, including condition and rarity, the six-socket, signed dragonfly lamp shade features a degree of artistry and hand work that does not exist today. Random glass cabochons in different sizes and shapes plus multi-colored wings set on striated glass and rich patina of the base are just a few examples.
