Nautilus Reading Lamp
Medium
bronze, leaded glass
Dimensions
34.5 × 21.3 × 13.4 cm
Classification
Metalwork
Department
Decorative Art and Design
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Bequest of Virginia Hubbell
Accession Number
1997.298
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
gender unknown
About this artwork
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.