Spotlight on Success: Tiffany Studios Glass Soars at Rago and Toomey & Co.’s April 2025 Glass & Lighting Sale

The appeal of turn-of-the-last-century Tiffany Studios glass, lamps, and decorative arts appears timeless. Rago and Toomey & Co. of Lambertville, NJ, presented a 98-lot Art Nouveau | Art Deco Glass & Lighting event on April 10, 2025. This auction featured a well-curated offering of merchandise from legacy manufacturers, including Duffner & Kimberly, Loetz, Daum, Galle, Lalique, and others… but examples from Tiffany Studios stole the spotlight in nearly all collecting categories. According to the auction houses, the event realized $1,170,656 overall. Here are some impressive highlights from this stunning, signature spring event.

Tiffany Studios Peony Border Floor Lamp

The top lot in this elegant sale was #0118, an exceptional Tiffany Studios glass peony border floor lamp. Estimated at USD 100,000 to $150,000, it delivered $145,200. This stunner from around 1910 featured a primarily pink, green, tan, and yellow leaded glass shade; a patinated bronze Piano base; and a complementary pointed finial. It measured 77 inches high with a 24-inch diameter. The shade and base were marked ‘TIFFANY STUDIOS NEW YORK 1574-6’ and ‘TGDCO TIFFANY STUDIOS NEW YORK 21551’, respectively. The lamp, which was consigned from a private collection in New England, was illustrated in several specialty Tiffany reference books.

Louis Comfort Tiffany loved peonies, and they were a regular theme throughout his work. These flowers translated well into glass, with their fluid shapes, great coloration, and natural variations. They were also deeply symbolic to Tiffany, as they represented affluence, success, and inherent beauty across several cultures.

Tiffany Studios Poppy Table Lamp

Table lamps from several premier manufacturers were also well represented in this sale. Lot #0105, a Tiffany Studios glass poppy table lamp, was estimated at $100,000 to $150,000 and traded hands at $112,200. This example measured 27 inches high with a 20-inch diameter and was manufactured around 1905. Its impressive shade was made from a mix of mostly teal, green, orange, and yellow rippled, confetti, and dichroic leaded glass. It rested upon the company’s patinated bronze, signature twisted stem style Water Lily base. The shade and base were marked ‘TIFFANY STUDIOS NEW YORK 1531-14’ and ‘TIFFANY STUDIOS NEW YORK 443’, respectively. This stunner came from the collection of Alexandra and Sidney Sheldon and was previously sold through Rago in 2008. It was also shown at the Palm Springs Desert Museum, Palm Springs, and cited in several category reference books and catalogs.

Tiffany’s signature Water Lily lamp base, which is sometimes called a Pond Lily base, debuted in 1902. It was made to mirror the look and feel of lily pads and their natural growth in nature. This specific base was only manufactured for a handful of years, with its detailing closely aligning with the Art Nouveau movement of its era. It is thought that Tiffany designed this lighting fixture based on lily plants he saw growing in his lily pond at the Briars, a home he built for himself and his family in Cold Spring Harbor, NY.

Tiffany Studios Cabinet Vase

This sale also included a fine collection of decorative arts from Tiffany Studios. Lot #0106, a cabinet vase with mushrooms, was estimated at $10,000 to $15,000 and sold for $85,800, nearly six times the high estimate. This petite, enameled copper example from around 1905 measured 2.25 inches high with a 2.25-inch diameter. It was decorated with simple, organic mushroom forms in primarily green, blue, orange, and red. It was marked ‘L.C.T. EL 42’ on its underside and was consigned from a private collection in Oregon.

Tiffany’s pottery line was probably the company’s least known and least successful business venture. It debuted at the turn of the 20th century, was exhibited at the 1904 World’s Fair, and was fully launched at the company’s Fifth Avenue retail store in 1905. However, it never gained the popularity or interest generated by the glass, jewelry, and other decorative arts lines, and production ceased for good in 1917. 

Tiffany Studios Turtleback Sconces

Smaller and specialty forms of lighting fixtures also featured prominently in this event. Lot #0110, a pair of Tiffany Studios glass turtleback sconces, was estimated at $15,000 to $25,000 and traded hands at $39,600. The sconces were made around 1900 from patinated bronze and Favrile glass. They measured 16.5 inches high, 8.25 inches wide, and 11.5 inches in diameter. They formerly belonged to the John W. Graham residence, “Maerex-on-the-Hill,” located in Springfield, PA. These were previously sold through Rago in 2013.

The Graham residence was a large home built in the early 1900s. Its impressive exterior featured four, two-story tall pillars, and its hillside setting offered sweeping views of the area. The inside was furnished with room-sized carpets, elegant artwork, eye-catching lighting fixtures, and fine appointments. It is not surprising that these luxury sconces were part of Maerex-on-the-Hill, given its aesthetic and history. Graham’s residence traded hands in 1933 and was converted to a school for children with special needs; this facility was in operation through 1970.

Tiffany Studios Moth Lamp Screen

Fine Art Nouveau and Art Deco glass and lighting rarities rounded out this colorful event. Lot #0117, a Tiffany Studios moth lamp screen, was estimated at $10,000 to $15,000 and traded hands at $25,080. This example from around 1905 was in the form of a two-inch diameter insect with outstretched wings. It was made from primarily tan, green, and brown leaded glass and suspended from a patinated bronze chain for hanging. It was previously sold through Beatrice Weiss of New York, hailed from a private collection from California, and was cited in major Tiffany reference guides.

For more information on Rago and Toomey & Co.’s Art Nouveau | Art Deco Glass & Lighting sale held on April 10, 2025, visit LiveAuctioneers. 

Looking for more art glass? Check out Auction Daily’s coverage of last year’s Murano glass sale at Wright.