At the turn of the 20th century, a leaded-glass lamp from Tiffany Studios represented the height of fashion. Louis Comfort Tiffany’s love of the natural world, especially flowers, is evident in this lamp that features the lotus, or water lily. This lotus lamp is one of only three such lamps currently known to have been made. It was probably a special order, given the unusual details of an undulating (instead of round) shade, the mosaic glass on the base, and the blown-glass shades seen peeking through the brass openwork at the top of the shade. The shade is one of the largest made by Tiffany, at 28 inches in diameter.

Selecting and cutting the glass for a Tiffany lamp was always done by the Women’s Glass-Cutting Department, where the female employees chose each piece of glass for color and texture and cut it to the precise shapes needed. A lampshade could require thousands of pieces of glass. The department was run by Ohio-born designer Clara Driscoll from 1892 until 1909 (with a few brief absences). She was responsible not only for designing lampshades but also for their profitability. Although she expressed a desire for more time to be creative in letters to her family, the lotus lamp is a testament to Driscoll’s successful design.

Tiffany Studios, manufacturer (1902–1932) and Clara Pierce Wolcott Driscoll, designer (1861–1944), Lotus Lamp. Leaded glass, patinated bronze, mosaic glass, and blown glass, about 1905. Height: 34 1/2 in. (87.6 cm); diameter: 28 in. (71.1 cm). Purchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey, by exchange, and with funds provided by the James F. White, Jr. Family in memory of Susan ("Sue") Serrott White, 2022.28a–j. On view in the Glass Pavilion in In a New Light: Impressionism and Post-Impressionism.