 In the late 19th century, Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933), son of Tiffany & Co. founder Charles Lewis Tiffany (1812–1902), strayed from the family business to become one of the most pivotal artists and designers of the Art Nouveau movement. Tiffany Studios: A Brief HistoryBorn in New York to a family of prominent, high-end jewelry-makers, Tiffany was afforded the opportunity to travel at a young age. His first moment of inspiration emerged from a visit to London’s Victoria and Albert Museum in 1865, where he encountered luminous colors achieved by glassware from antiquity. Just 20 years later, he opened Tiffany Studios, a glassmaking studio that quickly rose to prominence through a series of high-profile commissions that included designs for New York’s Lyceum Theater and the White House in Washington, D.C. As a result of his early exposure to decorative art from around the world, his designs drew inspiration from global sources such as Persian glass design, stained glass windows of the Gothic movement, and other elements of Asian and European craftsmanship. Tiffany lamps contained coiled bronze wire and blown favrile glass (a term that Tiffany himself coined) that “reflected the cultural fascination with the exotic,” says Tim Andreadis, Freeman’s specialist in 20th century design. From the late 1890s through the 1920s, Tiffany Studios produced mosaic glass shades that featured geometric and floral motifs. His geometric patterns invoked the far-reaching Arts and Crafts movement that defined the turn of the 20th century, while his nature-inspired motifs aligned with the Art Nouveau movement, a style that punctuated turn-of-the-century art, architecture, advertising, and design. The artists and designers who developed the iconic Tiffany lamp shade, says Andreadis, “established an oeuvre of lighting design unmatched in the modern era.” Antique Tiffany Lamps ValueAntique Tiffany lamps are sought-after today and the market remains competitive for investment-quality works. Tiffany lamps’ value can be anywhere from $4,000 to over $1 million. The most expensive Tiffany lamps sell for upwards of $1 million. The highest price ever paid for a Tiffany lamp remains $2.8 million at a Christie’s auction in 1997. “The very best Tiffany lamps have harmoniously composed shades from a mosaic of hundreds of individually selected glass pieces,” says Andreadis. “A very good example can be acquired on today’s market in the $100,000-150,000 price range.” Tiffany lamps bearing floral motifs and vibrant colors are among the most in-demand examples in the market today. Some of the most popular designs range from the more orientalist styles like the Tiffany Poppy lamp, to the dream-like, flowing floral designs like the Tiffany Daffodil lamp and the Tiffany Wisteria lamp. The Tiffany Dragonfly and Tiffany Peacock lamps, says Andreadis, are among the most desirable of the “blue-chip” Tiffany lamps – those that would have been much more expensive at the time of their creation and still tend to fetch six-figure values today. Popular Motifs for Tiffany LampsSome of the popular Tiffany lamp motifs in the market include:
Tiffany Floor Lamps  Image 1: Tiffany Studios Hanging Head “Dragonfly” Floor Lamp Sotheby’s, New York, NY (December 2017) Estimate: $300,000 – $500,000 Price Realized: $550,000 Image 2: Tiffany Studios Patinated-Bronze and Leaded Favrile Glass Poinsettia Floor Lamp Doyle New York, New York, NY (September 2004) Estimate: $150,000 – $200,000 Price Realized: $317,500 Image 3: Tiffany Studios Intaglio-Carved Favrile Glass, Turtleback Tile and Bronze Counter Balance Floor Lamp Christie’s, New York, NY (December 2000) Estimate: $18,000 – $24,000 Price Realized: $25,850 Image 4: Tiffany Studios Butterfly Etched Iridescent Favrile Glass and Bronze Counterbalance Floor Lamp Waddington’s, Toronto, ON (June 2009) Estimate: CAD8,000 – CAD12,000 Price Realized: CAD25,200 Image 5: Tiffany Studios, Leaded Daffodil Floor Lamp James D. Julia, Fairfield, ME (November 2012) Estimate: $1,000 – $1,500 Price Realized: $13,800 Image 6: Tiffany Studios A Favrile Glass and Patinated Bronze Floor Lamp, circa 1900 Bonhams, London, United Kingdom (October 2015) Estimate: Unavailable Price Realized: £1,500 Tiffany Table Lamps  Image 7: Tiffany Studios Wisteria Table Lamp Phillips, New York, NY (December 2012) Est: $500,000 – $700,000 Sold: $506,500 Image 8: Tiffany Studios, Important Peacock Table Lamp Sotheby’s, New York, NY (December 2015) Estimate: $300,000 – $500,000 Price Realized: $370,000 Image 9: Tiffany Studios Dragonfly Table Lamp James D. Julia, Fairfield, ME (June 2017) Estimate: $25,000 – $35,000 Price Realized: $51,425 Image 10: Tiffany Studios, Tall Table Lamp with Greek Key Rago Arts and Auction Center, Lambertsville, NJ (October 2013) Estimate: $14,000 – $19,000 Price Realized: $15,000 Tiffany Hanging Lamps  Image 11: Tiffany Studios Poppy Chandelier Sotheby’s, New York, NY (December 2017) Estimate: $200,000 – $300,000 Price Realized: $500,000 Image 12: Tiffany Studios Dragonfly Chandelier James D. Julia, Fairfield, ME (June 2017) Estimate: $100,000 – $150,000 Price Realized: $228,100 Image 13: Tiffany Studios Daffodil Hanging Chandelier Cottone Auctions, Geneseo, NY (March 2017) Estimate: $35,000 – $55,000 Price Realized: $51,750 Image 14: Unsigned Tiffany Studios Bronze and Leaded Favrile Glass Turtle Back and Geometric Hanging Shade Doyle New York, New York, NY (September 2012) Estimate: $8,000 – $12,000 Price Realized: $18,750 Image 15: Tiffany Studios Three-Arm Chandelier James D. Julia, Fairfield, ME (November 2014) Estimate: $10,000 – $15,000 Price Realized: $10,497 Image 16: A Tiffany Studios Favrile glass turtle back tile ceiling fixture Bonhams, New York, NY (December 2014) Estimate: $8,000 – $12,000 Price Realized: $8,750 Tiffany Desk Lamps In case six-figure sums aren’t in your budget, Tiffany Studios also produced student and library lamps with geometric or favrile glass shades. Seeking these out, as well as some of the less popular motifs and original components of Tiffany lamps allow for buyers to “acquire Tiffany quality at a fraction of the price of the more elaborate leaded lamps,” says Andreadis. Another more accessible option for those seeking Tiffany Studios lamps is the bronze base. While less breathtaking than their lampshade counterparts, original bases are still valued by collectors.  Image 17: Tiffany Studios Bronze and Favrile Glass Desk Lamp Doyle New York, New York, NY (June 2003) Estimate: $10,000 – $15,000 Price Realized: $14,000 Image 18: Tiffany Studios Bronze and Favrile Glass Three-Light Desk Lamp Heritage Auctions, Dallas, TX (November 2014) Estimate: $2,000 – $4,000 Price Realized: $8,125 Image 19: Tiffany Studios Nautilus Desk Lamp James D. Julia, Fairfield, ME (June 2016) Estimate: $8,000 – $12,000 Price Realized: $7,702 Image 20: Tiffany Studios Bronze Counter-Balance Desk Lamp Rago Arts and Auction Center, Lambertsville, NJ (March 2008) Estimate: $4,500 – $6,500 Price Realized: $4,000 Image 21: Tiffany Studios Bronze Three-Light “Lily” Desk or Piano Lamp New Orleans Auction Galleries, New Orleans, LA (December 2017) Estimate: $800 – $1,200 Price Realized: $3,200 How to Identify Antique Tiffany LampsHow can you tell that your leaded lamp is an original Tiffany lamp? Here are a few tell-tale hallmarks of an original Tiffany lamp:
When in doubt, always contact a decorative art specialist specialist, who can offer better insight on your particular example. 
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