# Louis Comfort Tiffany artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/louis-comfort-tiffany/
Profile generated: 2026-04-29T22:56:00.000Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1848-02-18
- Death date: 1933-01-17
- Nationality: American
- Movements: Art Nouveau, Aesthetic Movement, Arts and Crafts Movement
- Common media: stained glass, blown glass (Favrile glass), glass mosaics, ceramics, jewelry, enamels, metalwork, painting

## About Louis Comfort Tiffany

Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848–1933) was an American artist and designer who became the foremost figure in American decorative glass. Born in New York City to Charles Lewis Tiffany, founder of the luxury retailer Tiffany & Co., he studied painting before turning his attention to glass, interiors, and the decorative arts. Tiffany is best known for developing Favrile glass—an iridescent blown-glass technique—and for the stained glass windows, leaded-glass lamps, mosaics, and decorative objects produced under the Tiffany Studios name. His work is closely associated with Art Nouveau, the Aesthetic Movement, and the Arts and Crafts Movement, and he collaborated with designers such as Lockwood de Forest and Candace Wheeler through the Associated Artists collective. He also served as the first design director at Tiffany & Co. Today his work is held by major museums worldwide, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

## Common works and media

Tiffany's most commonly encountered works in auction and appraisal settings include leaded-glass table and floor lamps with nature-themed shades (floral, dragonfly, peacock, and wisteria patterns), Favrile glass vases and bowls with iridescent surfaces, stained glass windows and panels, glass mosaics, blown glass, enamelwork, jewelry, ceramics, and metalwork. Paintings from his earlier career also appear, though less frequently. Pieces are typically marked with "Tiffany Studios New York" stamps or signed with etched Favrile signatures on the glass itself.

## Market and appraisal context

Louis Comfort Tiffany's auction market is deep and liquid, with 804 catalogued lots spanning over three decades of recorded sales (1992–2026), of which 664 carry realized prices. The observed price distribution is wide but right-skewed: the median lot realizes approximately $1,000, the 25th percentile sits at $488, and the 75th percentile at $3,500, while the top end reaches $350,000—typically for important stained glass windows, large-scale lamps, or pieces with exceptional provenance. Favrile glass vases and smaller decorative objects form the bulk of mid-range results (roughly $300–$2,000), while signed table lamps, major glass panels, and works with documented exhibition or commission history command five- and six-figure results. The artist is represented across a broad range of auction houses including Christie's, Sotheby's, Bonhams, Artcurial, and numerous specialist and regional houses (Toomey & Co., Treadway Gallery, RoGallery, Kinghams, Freeman's | Hindman, DuMouchelles, and others), indicating consistent global demand and accessible resale channels. Liquidity has moderated somewhat in the most recent 12 months (16 priced lots versus 62 in the prior 12-month window), though this likely reflects the higher-value, lower-volume segment of the market where Tiffany's most important works appear.

## Auction-house-backed market evidence

Louis Comfort Tiffany's auction market is deep and liquid, with 804 catalogued lots spanning over three decades of recorded sales (1992–2026), of which 664 carry realized prices. The observed price distribution is wide but right-skewed: the median lot realizes approximately $1,000, the 25th percentile sits at $488, and the 75th percentile at $3,500, while the top end reaches $350,000—typically for important stained glass windows, large-scale lamps, or pieces with exceptional provenance. Favrile glass vases and smaller decorative objects form the bulk of mid-range results (roughly $300–$2,000), while signed table lamps, major glass panels, and works with documented exhibition or commission history command five- and six-figure results. The artist is represented across a broad range of auction houses including Christie's, Sotheby's, Bonhams, Artcurial, and numerous specialist and regional houses (Toomey & Co., Treadway Gallery, RoGallery, Kinghams, Freeman's | Hindman, DuMouchelles, and others), indicating consistent global demand and accessible resale channels. Liquidity has moderated somewhat in the most recent 12 months (16 priced lots versus 62 in the prior 12-month window), though this likely reflects the higher-value, lower-volume segment of the market where Tiffany's most important works appear.

### Appraisal notes

Appraisily uses these auction records as comparable-sale evidence alongside the details a collector provides—photographs, dimensions, medium, signature or maker's marks, condition, provenance, and any edition or commission documentation. For Tiffany, the most appraisal-relevant data points are: (1) whether the piece carries a genuine Tiffany Studios New York stamp, a Favrile glass etched signature (typically 'L. C. T. Favrile' or numbered), or no mark; (2) the specific form—leaded-glass lamps, stained glass windows, Favrile vases, mosaics, metalwork, enamels, and paintings each sit in distinct price tiers; (3) condition details such as cracks, replaced glass segments, repairs to lead caming, or non-original wiring; and (4) provenance linking the work to a documented commission, notable collection, or exhibition. The 804-lot dataset provides a strong comparable-sale foundation, but final appraisal value depends on matching the specific work to the right segment of this wide distribution.

### Valuation factors

- Attribution and marks: pieces signed 'L. C. T. Favrile' or stamped 'Tiffany Studios New York' carry a significant premium over unmarked or generically attributed works
- Form and medium: leaded-glass table and floor lamps (especially dragonfly, wisteria, peacock, and floral shade patterns) and large stained glass windows command the highest prices; Favrile vases and bowls are more common and cluster in the mid-range
- Size and complexity: larger, more intricate works—such as multi-panel windows or elaborate lamp shades with many glass segments—realize substantially more than small cabinet vases or simple forms
- Condition: cracks in glass panels, replaced shade segments, repairs to lead caming, non-original bases or wiring, and surface wear to iridescent Favrile finishes all reduce value
- Provenance: documented links to original commissions, notable collections, or exhibition history can multiply value, particularly for stained glass windows and major lamps
- Rarity of design: unusual or rare shade patterns, experimental Favrile glass techniques (such as paperweight or pulled-feather decoration), and limited-production forms command premiums
- Authenticity: the market contains many Tiffany-style reproductions; confirmed authenticity through glass composition analysis, construction techniques, and expert examination is essential for premium pricing
- Era of production: works produced during Louis Comfort Tiffany's lifetime (pre-1933) and personally designed or supervised carry higher collector value than later workshop or posthumous pieces

### Collector notes

- The auction record spans 804 lots with a price range from $21 to $350,000—expect wide variation depending on form, marks, and condition, and do not assume a single 'going rate' for Tiffany works.
- Favrile glass vases appear frequently at auction and typically realize $300–$2,000; signed or rare examples can exceed this range, but common forms are relatively accessible entry points.
- Leaded-glass lamps and stained glass windows are the high-value segment—comparable lots at Christie's and Sotheby's regularly achieve five-figure results, with exceptional pieces reaching six figures.
- Major houses (Christie's, Sotheby's, Bonhams, Artcurial) handle the most important pieces and tend to produce the strongest results; regional specialists (Toomey & Co., Treadway, RoGallery) also actively trade Tiffany and can offer value.
- Always verify authenticity before purchasing—Tiffany reproductions are widespread, and the difference in value between a genuine signed piece and a reproduction can be orders of magnitude.
- Condition reports are essential for lamps and stained glass: even minor repairs to lead caming or replaced glass segments can materially affect value.
- The recent 12-month volume (16 lots) is lower than the prior period (62 lots), which may reflect market timing or a shift toward higher-value, less-frequent consignments—monitor upcoming sales at major houses for trend confirmation.

### Market caveats

- The Appraisily auction record index reflects 804 lots aggregated from public auction feeds; it does not capture private sales, dealer transactions, or all regional auction results, so the true market volume is larger than shown.
- Many lots titled 'Louis Comfort Tiffany' may be works produced by Tiffany Studios artisans rather than personally designed by Tiffany himself—the distinction affects collector value and is not always clear from auction titles alone.
- Price currency varies across lots (USD, EUR, GBP); all cross-currency comparisons are approximate and do not account for exchange-rate fluctuations at the time of sale.
- Some recent lots carry null realized prices, indicating either unsold results or data not yet reported—these lots are excluded from price-distribution calculations but their absence may skew the observed range.
- The observed category list is derived from the existing artist profile and lot titles rather than standardized auction-house classification, so some works may cross multiple categories.
- Authentication of Tiffany glass requires specialist expertise in glass composition, construction techniques, and studio marks; auction-house attributions alone should not be treated as definitive authentication.

### Market evidence sources

- undefined: https://appraisily.com/api/scraper-search/artists/louis-comfort-tiffany/seo-profile?recentLimit=24&relatedLimit=0
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-louis-comfort-tiffany-1848-1933-vase-paperweight-vers-1915-h-18-5-246-c-5f84ecd0e9
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-louis-comfort-tiffany-american-1848-1933-gold-favrile-glass-bud-vase-open-salt-early-20th-century-h-2-dia-2-25-234-c-8e341388a9
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-louis-comfort-tiffany-for-tiffany-studio-87-c-8b443f8bd6
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-louis-comfort-tiffany-american-1848-1933-paperweight-favrile-glass-bowl-1062-c-14946238b2
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-louis-comfort-tiffany-united-states-1848-1933-table-lamp-ca-1900-opaline-and-strongly-iridescent-yellow-favrile-glass-shade-patinated-cast-bronze-foot-signed-l-c-t-favrile-129-c-97d4be8a14
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-louis-comfort-tiffany-a-favrile-glass-table-lamp-circa-1910-798-c-fdf4c208ae
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-louis-comfort-tiffany-original-favrile-art-glass-compote-signed-235-c-ccf45daa88
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-louis-comfort-tiffany-1848-1933-american-18-c-c444c03a57

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine published artist identity research from museum and authority sources with available auction records, sale dates, realized prices, comparable lots, and provenance data. For Louis Comfort Tiffany, identity and biographical data are grounded in the Library of Congress Name Authority File, VIAF, RKD, and Wikidata. Market observations draw from auction-house records and public sale databases where available.

## Sources

- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n79056759
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Comfort_Tiffany
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q312950
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/2479289/
- RKD (Netherlands Institute for Art History): https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/77463
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/5876
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500030415