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PROPERTY OF THE VIRGINIA MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, SOLD TO BENEFIT FUTURE ACQUISITIONSThe present lot, from the collection of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) is being sold to benefit future acquisitions. VMFA in Richmond, Virginia, is one of the largest comprehensive art museums in the United States. VMFA, which opened in 1936, is a state agency and privately endowed educational institution. Its purpose is to collect, preserve, exhibit and interpret art, and to encourage the study of the arts. Through the Office of Statewide Partnerships program, the museum offers curated exhibitions, arts-related audiovisual programs, symposia, lectures, conferences and workshops by visual and performing artists. In addition to presenting a wide array of special exhibitions, the museum provides visitors with the opportunity to experience a global collection of art that spans more than 6,000 years. VMFA’s permanent holdings encompass nearly 40,000 artworks, including the largest public collection of Fabergé outside of Russia, and the finest collections of Art Nouveau and Art Deco outside of Paris. VMFA is also home to important collections of African, American, Ancient, East Asian, European and South Asian art, with particular strengths in African American art, British sporting art, English silver, French Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, and Modern and Contemporary art. In May 2010, VMFA opened its doors to the public after a transformative expansion, the largest in its history, and last year had an attendance of nearly 700,000 visitors. It is the only public art museum in the United States that is free of charge and open 365 days a year.

TIFFANY STUDIOS

'Maple Leaf' Floor Lamp, circa 1910

Details

TIFFANY STUDIOS
'Maple Leaf' Floor Lamp, circa 1910
leaded glass, patinated bronze
63 ½ in. (161.3 cm) high; 22 ¼ in. (56.5 cm) diameter of shade
shade impressed TIFFANY STUDIOS NEW YORK-1999
base impressed TIFFANY STUDIOS NEW YORK 379

Provenance

Mr. and Mrs. Arthur S. Brinkley, Jr., Virginia
Gifted from the above to the present owner, 1972

Literature

A. Duncan, Louis C. Tiffany: The Garden Museum Collection, Woodbridge, Suffolk, 2004, p. 300 for another example of the shade illustrated
M. Eidelberg, A. Cooney Frelinghuysen, N. McClelland, and L. Rachen, The Lamps of Louis Comfort Tiffany, New York, p. 98 for another example of the shade illustrated

Brought to you by

Daphné Riou

driou@christies.com +1 212 636 2240

Lot Essay

The ‘Maple Leaf’ model was made during the mature years in the history of Tiffany Studios, with it first appearing in 1913 and still being manufactured into the next decade. Few examples, however, were created, perhaps due to the shade’s reasonably high selling price of $240. The large dome elegantly depicts bands of overlapping maple leaves situated above bands of seed pods attached to slender branches. The design is highly intricate and imaginative, and the shade amply demonstrates the exceptional craftsmanship that was Tiffany Studios’ trademark.

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