Spider and Web Table Lamp

c. 1902–20

Spider and Web Table Lamp, c. 1902–20. Tiffany Studios (American, New York, 1902–1932). Leaded glass, bronze; diameter: 38.2 cm (15 1/16 in.); overall: 45 cm (17 11/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Bequest of Charles Maurer 2018.277 The dawn of the 20th century spurred fresh approaches to design. Louis Comfort Tiffany’s great contribution to this new art movement, termed the Art Nouveau, was not only the shimmering iridescence of his Favrile glass but also the naturalistic compositions of his lamps and windows, which brought him commercial and critical success in both Europe and America. Symbolic themes, such as the lurking spider in his web of this lamp, were a hallmark of Tiffany's Art Nouveau design. The base of this lamp resembles an upturned mushroom.