Tiffany Studios New York "Scarab" Table Lamp
Created in 1898, this scarab lamp is an early, exquisite example of Tiffany’s craftsmanship. The lamp’s oval eyes shimmer with light, while iridescent gold glass wings—crackled for texture—spread apart to reveal a yellow-green glass abdomen, adorned with intricate cross-hatched metal filigree. Unlike Tiffany’s later spherical shades, which lift off for light bulb installation, this lamp features a hinged cover inspired by the fractal patterns of a sunflower.
The scarab and sunflower elements together evoke a modern interpretation of the Egyptian winged scarab, often depicted with a solar disk above its head. This design references the myth of Khepri, the scarab god, whose rolling of dung balls symbolized the sun’s daily journey across the sky. The lamp’s base, crafted from spiraled wire, recalls the design of ancient Egyptian baskets traditionally used to hold cobras during snake charming. In ancient Egypt, snake charming was a common practice performed by educated men who served as healers and magicians.
Item #: L-21828
Artist: Tiffany Studios New York
Country: United States
Circa: 1898
Dimensions: 22.5" height, 7" diameter
Materials: Leaded Glass, Bronze
Literature: Alastair Duncan, Tiffany: Lamps and Metalware, Woodbridge, Suffolk, 2019, p. 62, no. 198 (for the model) Paul Crist, Tiffany Lamps: A History, Santa Fe Springs, CA, 2023, p. 146, no. 6-7 (for the model)
Item #: L-21828
Artist: Tiffany Studios New York
Country: United States
Circa: 1898
Dimensions: 22.5" height, 7" diameter
Materials: Leaded Glass, Bronze
Literature: Alastair Duncan, Tiffany: Lamps and Metalware, Woodbridge, Suffolk, 2019, p. 62, no. 198 (for the model) Paul Crist, Tiffany Lamps: A History, Santa Fe Springs, CA, 2023, p. 146, no. 6-7 (for the model)
With their combination of simple naturalism and powerful symbolism of resurrection, favrile glass scarabs represent an important motif and medium in Louis Comfort Tiffany's work. In his decades-long career of experimentation in creating precious artistic objects, Tiffany drew inspiration across many cultures and media, with nature as his touchstone. Tiffany had an intense interest in Egyptian art and collected a number of ancient scarabs. The spectral colors produced by his innovative treatment of the glass resembles real beetles' natural iridescence. At the same time, the iridescent surface evokes the look of long buried ancient glass, a nod to the fact that the importance of the scarab symbol spans millennia, and was a subject of contemporary fascination in the early 20th century art world.
With their combination of simple naturalism and powerful symbolism of resurrection, favrile glass scarabs represent an important motif and medium in Louis Comfort Tiffany's work. In his decades-long career of experimentation in creating precious artistic objects, Tiffany drew inspiration across many cultures and media, with nature as his touchstone. Tiffany had an intense interest in Egyptian art and collected a number of ancient scarabs. The spectral colors produced by his innovative treatment of the glass resembles real beetles' natural iridescence. At the same time, the iridescent surface evokes the look of long buried ancient glass, a nod to the fact that the importance of the scarab symbol spans millennia, and was a subject of contemporary fascination in the early 20th century art world.
