America, early 20th Century / c. 1899–1902
Nautilus Reading Lamp
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Nautilus Reading Lamp as metalwork (America, early 20th Century · c. 1899–1902).
A lamp of this design was first featured in Siegfried Bing's 1899 display of Louis Comfort Tiffany's designs at the Grafton Galleries in London then in Tiffany's own stand at the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this metalwork as bronze, leaded glass and credits Tiffany Glass & Decorating Company (America, New York, 1892–1902).
The museum's collection notes: Benjamin Hubbell, the architect of the Cleveland Museum of Art, acquired this vase from Louis Comfort Tiffany, with whom he collaborated on various projects. The shape of the nautilus shell provides the perfect space to conceal a light bulb, the newest form of technology at the time. As a result, this lamp was a critical success and sold both in this original form and with the later alteration of a bronze mermaid for the stand and an actual nautilus shell for the shade.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtNautilus Reading LampOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.