Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau Lamps That Aren't Tiffany: What Sells

Most old leaded and decorated lamps are not Tiffany, and many are worth serious money anyway. A Limbert Arts and Crafts lamp brought $6,750 at our sale, and a pair of Art Nouveau bronze lamps estimated at $1,000 to $2,000 sold for $6,500. Here are the makers to know and what drives value.

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When people find an old leaded or decorated lamp, they usually hope it is Tiffany. Most are not. That does not mean the lamp is ordinary. American Arts and Crafts makers and French Art Nouveau designers made lamps that collectors chase on their own, and the best of them bring serious money.

The American names to know

Handel

The Handel Company of Meriden, Connecticut is best known for reverse painted glass shades, painted on the inside so the scene glows when the lamp is lit. Landscapes, birds and floral scenes are common. Handel also made leaded and chipped ice shades. Our Handel lamp guide covers the marks and models.

Pairpoint

Pairpoint of New Bedford, Massachusetts made reverse painted shades too, including its famous Puffy shades, blown into a mold so the flowers and fruit stand out in relief.

Duffner and Kimberly

This New York firm made leaded glass lamps in the same years as Tiffany Studios, and its best work rivals Tiffany in design. Read our post on Duffner and Kimberly lamps for more.

Dirk van Erp

Dirk van Erp's San Francisco shop made hand hammered copper lamps with mica shades. His bases are typically stamped DIRK VAN ERP in a box below a windmill. Rare early examples carry estimates in the tens of thousands of dollars at major auction houses.

Limbert, Roycroft and Stickley

The big Arts and Crafts furniture and metalwork names also made lamps. Charles P. Limbert, the Michigan furniture maker, used Dutch inspired designs, and his lamps are scarce. At SebastianCharles, a Limbert Arts and Crafts windmill table lamp sold for $6,750 against an estimate of $4,000 to $6,000. Roycroft copper lamps and Stickley lamps also have strong collector followings.

The French side: Art Nouveau

French Art Nouveau lamps come in two main types. Glass lamps by makers such as Daum and Gallé use layered cameo glass, carved or acid etched into flowers and landscapes. Our Daum Art Nouveau guide covers that side.

Then there are bronze lamps with whiplash curves and plant forms. Hector Guimard, the architect behind the Paris Métro entrances, designed some of the best known Art Nouveau metalwork. At SebastianCharles, a pair of Art Nouveau bronze table lamps attributed to Guimard sold for $6,500 against an estimate of $1,000 to $2,000.

Signed, attributed or in the style of

These three phrases mean very different things in a catalog. Signed means the piece carries the maker's mark. Attributed means the design, construction and history point strongly to that maker, but the piece is not marked. In the style of means it looks like the maker's work and nothing more.

Signed pieces bring the most. Attributed pieces still sell well when the evidence is good, as the Guimard pair shows. Getting the description right protects you and the buyer, and it is what lets serious bidders bid with confidence.

What hurts value

• A replaced or mismatched shade. Many lamps have a shade from another lamp.
• Stripped, polished or painted metal. Original patina matters on copper and bronze.
• Cracked glass, flaking paint inside a reverse painted shade, or broken mica panels.
• Missing original parts like finials, caps or shade rings.

Rewiring is normal and does not hurt value. Keep the original sockets if they were replaced.

Before you sell

• Lift the shade off before you move the lamp.
• Do not clean, polish or repaint anything.
• Photograph the whole lamp lit and unlit, the underside of the base, and any marks on the shade rim.
• Keep receipts and family history with the lamp.

If you think your lamp might be Tiffany after all, read how much a Tiffany Studios lamp is worth.

How we can help

SebastianCharles Auctions offers American and European decorative lighting to a national and international bidder base. Send photos through our free estimate form. You can browse our antiques department and recent auction highlights.