Lily Lamp

In the 1890s, Louis Comfort Tiffany combined his Favrile glass with the relatively new technology of electricity to produce his first lamp, the form for which he would become most famous. The lily lamp won a grand prize at the International Exposition of Modern Decorative Art in Turin, Italy, in 1902. Although the original version of the lamp had 18 lights, the firm went on to manufacture smaller versions with 7, 10, and 12 bulbs. Combining Tiffany’s iridescent Favrile glass with masterfully naturalistic work in metal, this design became one of the firm’s most popular. Its sinuous asymmetry demonstrated Tiffany’s strong ties to Art Nouveau.