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Source Description

The peacock, with its brilliantly colored iridescent plumage, was a favorite motif of Louis Comfort Tiffany, appearing in almost every genre of his artistic production. The Peacock table lamp, created by Tiffany's chief lamp designer Clara Wolcott Driscoll, evokes the wide circular swath of a peacock's preening feathers and attracted critical acclaim to both Driscoll and Tiffany Studios. This particular version retains its original kerosene burning fluid apparatus as well as an electric bulb armature. Although incandescent lamp bulbs had become more widely available in the 1890s, most households, even those of the wealthy, were not yet wired for electricity. Tiffany originally designed his lamps with an oil-burning apparatus, consisting of a reservoir and a double wick and chimney, as well as an electric attachment. He cleverly predicted, though, that electric households would eventually become commonplace, so he soon moved to all-electric designs, greatly increasing the illumination and appeal of his lamps.

Scholar Source Context

Document identity
localId
93149
label
Peacock Table Lamp
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
93149
contentType
object
title
Peacock Table Lamp
description
The peacock, with its brilliantly colored iridescent plumage, was a favorite motif of Louis Comfort Tiffany, appearing in almost every genre of his artistic production. The Peacock table lamp, created by Tiffany's chief lamp designer Clara Wolcott Driscoll, evokes the wide circular swath of a peacock's preening feathers and attracted critical acclaim to both Driscoll and Tiffany Studios. This particular version retains its original kerosene burning fluid apparatus as well as an electric bulb armature. Although incandescent lamp bulbs had become more widely available in the 1890s, most households, even those of the wealthy, were not yet wired for electricity. Tiffany originally designed his lamps with an oil-burning apparatus, consisting of a reservoir and a double wick and chimney, as well as an electric attachment. He cleverly predicted, though, that electric households would eventually become commonplace, so he soon moved to all-electric designs, greatly increasing the illumination and appeal of his lamps.
date
c. 1902
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q79874442
creators
356976
292194
genreSpecific
Lamp
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Diameter: 48 cm (18 7/8 in.); Overall: 65 cm (25 9/16 in.)
cul
America, New York
accession
2018.281
Source extras
tec
Leaded glass, bronze
tombstone
Peacock Table Lamp, c. 1902. Probably by Clara Wolcott Driscoll (American, 1861–1944), Tiffany Studios (United States, New York, 1902–32). Leaded glass, bronze; diameter: 48 cm (18 7/8 in.); overall: 65 cm (25 9/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Bequest of Charles Maurer, 2018.281
collection
Decorative Arts
didYouKnow
Originally designed to burn kerosene, this Peacock lamp still retains its original double wick and oil reservoir along with an adapter for electric light bulbs.
citations
citation
Harrison, Stephen, Emmanuel Ducamp, and Jeannine J. Falino.<em> Artistic Luxury: Fabergé Tiffany Lalique</em>. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art in association with, New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2008.
page_number
Reproduced: Pg. 290; Discussed: Pg. 291; Mentioned: Pg. 340 (Cat. No. 292)
citation
Harrison, Stephen. “Acquisitions 2018: Decorative Art and Design.” <em>Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine </em>59, no. 2 (March/April 2019): 10-12.
page_number
Reproduced and Mentioned: P. 11.
citation
"King Louis". <em>Antique Collecting </em>58, no. 7 (December/January 2023-24): 36-40.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: p. 39
creditline
Bequest of Charles Maurer
sketchfabId
a24bcb6b7a2e448fad661004f403ae12
updatedAt
2026-06-18 21:15:50.448000
sourceId
93149
dept
Decorative Art and Design
coll
Decorative Arts
med
Leaded glass, bronze
creatorTags
female
Cleveland Institute of Art (alumni)
gender unknown
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
442fcbfe4eef0be3