Glass

Tiffany Studios Inverted Hanging Shade, ca. 1901

Appraisal: Tiffany Studios Inverted Hanging Shade, ca. 1901

Transcript

APPRAISER: So, I would love to know how you got this.

GUEST: My grandfather was, um, a superintendent of the grounds at an estate in Gloucester, Massachusetts, at Eastern Point, and this apparently came from the estate. I don't know when, but somehow, he got it, and it was in his chicken coop for years, because...

APPRAISER: (chuckles)

GUEST: ...where do you put a, a, a piece like this? Then it went to my parents' house, where it went to the attic, where it stayed for many years, where it came to my house in, in the '90s. This was on the sun porch for many years. And then in the, the summertime, we'd put it in the barn, up in the loft. (chuckling) And then, I mean, it's traveled a lot, and then it went to my dining room not too long ago. It's Tiffany-like in terms of the design, but we know absolutely nothing about it.

APPRAISER: I have to say, with that back history, I am amazed that it, that it is in such phenomenal condition. I mean, really, there are very, very few cracks in it, and because of its size, uh, something like that would be very prone to damage. So, you obviously took very good care of it.

GUEST: (laughing): By mistake.

APPRAISER: This is an interesting piece, because, yes, it's not signed. Um, but it is signed in its own way, because the type of glass that you see, particularly the background glass...

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER: ...was made at Tiffany. It's a geometric shade.

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER: This almost mimics, like, an Aztec design around the edge. This thing is really huge.

GUEST: Massive.

APPRAISER: And it's massive, and it's something that wouldn't be in full production based on the size alone—33 inches in diameter. I, I'm shocked at how big it is.

GUEST: Yeah.

APPRAISER: What's interesting about it is, also...

GUEST: Yeah.

APPRAISER: ...is looking at the hardware. Some of it's Tiffany and some of it's not. The sockets are attached to arms and that half ball, and the pipe...

GUEST: Yeah.

APPRAISER: ...that goes up to the top. Those parts are not Tiffany.

GUEST: Oh.

APPRAISER: They're period...

GUEST: Yeah.

APPRAISER: ...but they're not Tiffany. But the chains and the lovely arms coming out of the top...

GUEST: Yeah.

APPRAISER: ...those have the decorative devices...

GUEST: Yeah.

APPRAISER: ...that you'd see on a lot of the early Tiffany lamp bases at the time.

GUEST: Yeah, yeah.

APPRAISER: The finish on the shade is interesting, because it doesn't really have a finish. And this is also characteristic of, um, pieces that are so early.

GUEST: Yeah.

APPRAISER: This was probably a custom-made piece for the mansion.

GUEST: Yeah.

APPRAISER: This based on the glass and the fact that it isn't signed...

GUEST: Yeah.

APPRAISER: ...makes me think that it was made between 1900 and 1902. One of the great things about this shade is the way it's constructed, and I think one of the reasons it's survived as long as it has...

GUEST: Yeah.

APPRAISER: ...is, um, on the interior, it has these wonderful support fins.

GUEST: Yeah.

APPRAISER: And in typical Tiffany fashion, they are placed in such a way that they, they are not obscuring any part of the glass, but yet it, it lends to the support to the shade.

GUEST: Yeah.

APPRAISER: They follow, like, the lines here...

GUEST: Yeah.

APPRAISER: ...and then when it gets here, it zigzags over here...

GUEST: Yeah, okay.

APPRAISER: ...and moves this way, where the hook was placed.

GUEST: Yeah.

APPRAISER: So it was very artfully done. And that's the thing about Tiffany-- the attention to detail points in every direction that this was made by Tiffany.

GUEST: Oh, wow.

APPRAISER: Even with no signature?

GUEST: Ah.

APPRAISER: I love when you ask that. (both laugh) Because most of the fake Tiffany out there is signed.

GUEST: Oh.

APPRAISER: But there's a tremendous amount of early shades that are not signed.

GUEST: Oh.

APPRAISER: But the way they're made, the kind of glass that is used...

GUEST: Yeah.

APPRAISER: ...the design...

GUEST: Yeah.

APPRAISER: ...those are the signatures.