Tiffany Leaded Lamp Lights Up Auction with New Record
The iconic Magnolia floor lamp by Tiffany Studios, beloved by turn-of-the-century landscapers and modern tech industry pioneers, became the most expensive Tiffany leaded lamp to sell at auction.
With the winter solstice approaching, days in the Northern Hemisphere grow shorter and colder, and nights get longer and darker. We could all use a little more light in our lives. This time of the year, a lot of that light comes in the form of Hanukkah menorahs, Christmas light displays, and Kwanzaa candles. But holiday lights don’t entirely replace electric lamps, especially when those lamps have the beauty and craftsmanship that comes from Louis Comfort Tiffany’s workshop.
One of Tiffany’s most beloved designs, the Magnolia floor lamp, set a new auction record for the designer’s iconic leaded lamps. The 7 3/4-in.-tall lamp, made circa 1910, sold for $4.4 million at Sotheby’s “Dreaming in Glass: Masterworks by Tiffany Studios, featuring works from The Schur Family Collection” sale that closed December 11. According to Artnet News, the lamp sold within 10 minutes of bidding, raising its final price to more than twice its low estimate.
The auction lots included some of Tiffany Studios' greatest designs, including iridescent Favrile glass, cameo glass, patterned metal desk accessories, and geometric leaded lampshades. As always, the floral lampshades stole the show.
Even among Tiffany leaded lamps, the Magnolia floor lamp is a standout. Its patinated bronze mounts, including the “Chased Pod” base and unusual elongated “Pig Tail” finial, add interest to the design without detracting from the stellar leaded lampshade. The colorful, intricate design won over Apple cofounder Steve Jobs, whose devotion to minimalism shaped the aesthetic of his brand. He owned a Tiffany Magnolia floor lamp and kept it as the only piece of furniture in his living room.
The lamp is believed to be the work of Agnes Northrop, one of the “Tiffany Girls,” or the Women’s Glass Cutting Department at Tiffany Studios. This would truly make it a rarity. Clara Driscoll is the “Tiffany Girl” best known for the leaded lampshade. Northrop’s specialty was windows, such as the Danner Memorial Window, which set an auction record when it sold for $12.4 million at Sotheby’s in November 2024. Photographs and watercolor sketches of magnolias by Northrop are in museum collections, and the flowers appear in some of her best windows.
In a catalogue note by Tiffany expert Paul Doros, Sotheby’s points out another possible connection between Northrop and the Magnolia floor lamp. The lamp that sold in the auction was owned by landscapist Samuel Browne Parsons, Jr., whose family owned a plant nursery in Flushing, New York. Northrop lived nearby and was known to visit this and other local nurseries to photograph and sketch the plants. If she designed the Magnolia lamp, Parsons’ ownership brings its story full circle.
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