Stained Glass Lamps
While they might cost a bit more than a conventional lamp, stained glass lamps are a great way to beautify a room. Instead of your typical vinyl lamp shape, a stained glass lamp’s shade is made out of panels of stained glass arranged in a pattern and held together with lead. Because they are made out of colored glass, these lamps are vibrant when lit up and give off a vibrancy and iridescent quality that other lamps just cannot compare to.
The most well known maker of these types of stained glass lamps is the Tiffany glass Company. The Tiffany Glass Company began producing stained glass pieces in the 1890’s. The company was started by the renowned glass artisan Louis Comfort Tiffany who made popular the idea of “Favrile” (homemade) lamp making. Because of the way they are made, no two Tiffany pieces are alike.
The Tiffany Glass Company still enjoys popularity today and sells many replicas of its most famous designs as well as newer models. Vintage Tiffany stained glass lamps can be found for sale in many antique stores as well as online. Because of their beauty and uniqueness Tiffany lamps can range from several hundred to several thousand dollars. While not exactly the price of a cheap lamp at Wal-Mart, Tiffany lamps offer more than just mere functionality.
While Tiffany made stained glass lamps popular, there are many other artisans who have also made their mark in this particular niche. Tiffany himself employed as many as 300 separate artisans during the studios heyday. Other great lamp makers include Bigelow & Kennard, The Mosiac Shade Company, Duffner and Kimberly, Roycraft, Suess Ornamental, and Unique art Glass and Metal just to name a few.
While not as ubiquitous as Tiffany, another maker of stained glass lamps who has gained quite a following among collectors is an artisan known as A.Hart. A. Hart lamps were all assembled by hand by a single artist from pieces of old church glass, using simple tools and templates. Many of these beautiful lamps seamlessly incorporated butterflies into their design as a sort of trademark of the artist. During the 60’s and 70’s A.Hart lamps could be bought at the fraction of the cost of a Tiffany piece, today these same lamps are highly collectable and considered priceless by many collectors.
The art of assembling stained glass lamps still thrives today with many different types of lamps available in a whole range of prices. For several hundred dollars, you can pick up a nice vintage replica of a classic Tiffany tabletop lamp or floor stand model made by artisans employed by the company. If you have a little bit more to spend, you may want to try to pick up an actual vintage leaded lamp assembled by a master artisan sometime during the middle half of the twentieth century when the art of making stained glass lamps was in its apex. Or, if you really feel inspired, why not try to make one yourself?
