Louis Comfort Tiffany, 1848-1933, was the originator and designer of the stunning Tiffany Stained Glass Lamps. His lamps were characteristic of vibrant colors, textures and original designs. His designs can be categorized into seven basic designs, each with its own distinctive qualities. However, within each category, Mr. Tiffany used several different methods of making, treating, and designing the glass. Each Tiffany Lamp is unique, one of a kind, and hand crafted. To truly appreciate each design and each lamp, it is interesting to delve into the various glass making methods that give each Tiffany its own unique and distinctive qualities.
The first type of Tiffany Glass to investigate is Opalescent Glass. This type of glass is very interesting and derives its name from a characteristic that means there is more than one color present within the glass itself. The two colors are fused together during the manufacturing process where two colors may be laminated or a technique of turning red glass to orange or blue glass to green is done by superficially adding a solution of silver nitrate to silver stained glass. This type of glass was used during the 1860′s to 1870′s in various England Stained Glass Studios and others. Opalescent glass became the foundation for all the other glassed designed by Tiffany.
The next and most famous type of glass used by Tiffany is Favrile. He patented the glass in 1880. Its name comes from the French word, febrile, which means handcrafted. Favrile is very versatile and you will find it in a lot of Classical art work. Favrile’s main characteristic is that the glass possesses a superficial iridescence. It causes the glass to shine and shimmer, but at the same time, the glass retains is opaque qualities. This shimmering effect of the glass was made by combining two different colors of glass while it was still hot.
Mr. Tiffany was quoted, “”Favrile glass is distinguished by brilliant or deeply toned colors, usually iridescent like the wings of certain American butterflies, the necks of pigeons and peacocks, the wing covers of various beetles.”
To create different types of textures to the glass Tiffany used several other methods that would give the glass the look and feel of the nature that the designs were patterned after.
To make the impressions of waves, water, or veins in leaves Mr. Tiffany used the process known as Ripple Glass. This process is quite interesting in that the process was done by rolling a roller over hot molten glass. To make glass smooth the process would require that the roller spin on itself and go forward at the same speed. In order to give the ripple effect the roller would spin faster than the speed that it was traveling forward. When the glass cooled the ripples would remain as part of the glass.
Another technique that Mr. Tiffany used to give the illusion of branches, sticks, and grasses was called Streamer Glass. Streamers of hot glass were swung back and forth across using a long steal pipe, know as a punty. These long, hot, thin strands of glass then harden and become attached to the glass. They are then pressed into the glass and became permanently fused.
When investigating and considering Tiffany Lamps for yourself or as a gift, take the time to truly look at the details of the glass. Noticing different nuances and characteristics in the glass can be the difference between ordinary or exceptional. It can also mean the difference between authentic or imitation. Although original Tiffany Lamps are found in museums or private collections, there are some manufacturers of Tiffany Style Lamps in production today still use hand crafted and hand soldered glass made famous by Mr. Tiffany.
