Empire Table Lamp

c. 1902–10

Empire Table Lamp, c. 1902–10. Tiffany Studios (American, New York, 1902–1932). Leaded glass, gilt bronze; overall: 66 x 56.5 cm (26 x 22 1/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Bequest of Charles Maurer 2018.264 Although Tiffany often wrote of his disdain for romanticizing the past, he recognized that many of his customers favored historical styles. He kept his showrooms well stocked with colonial revival furniture and lamps, such as the Napoleon-inspired Empire pattern, with its abstracted neoclassical swags and medallions, that fit easily within traditional decor. The row of little green glass tiles at the bottom edge of this shade is meant to resemble a row of silk fringe.