The Lamps of Louis Comfort Tiffany

Book excerpt: This is the first book devoted to Tiffany lamps in more than 20 years. Experts in the field have made a selection of exceptional lamps-many of which have rarely been seen or published-and each one has been newly photographed with the latest photographic techniques to reveal in extraordinary detail the artistic quality and high craftsmanship of these masterpieces of decorative art. Martin Eidelberg and Alice Cooney Frelinghuysen have contributed essays on the history of the lamps, enlarging our understanding of Louis Comfort Tiffany's achievement. They have also drawn upon a host of previously unpublished photographs, paintings, and watercolors by Tiffany and other artists in his employ, as well as on working drawings and studio photographs, to evoke the lost gardens and interiors of Tiffany's country estate, Laurelton Hall, that so inspired him. They outline the development and manufacture of the Tiffany lamp from freehand sketch to the finished form, as well as the chief decorative themes in Tiffany's glass masterpieces and their relation to the work of other fin de sihcle glassmakers. In this book, light, color, and the inspiration of nature co-mingle to produce a deliciously sensuous experience.