James D Julia have put together a diverse offering of fine art glass and lighting for their December Lamp & Glass Auction. One impressive aspect of the sale is the Private Collection of Dorothy Lee Jones, from which many of the pieces are offered.
Dorothy Lee was the founder of the Jones Museum of Glass & Ceramics in Sebago, Maine. She spent the majority of her life studying glass and ceramics and her true joy was lecturing and educating lovers of fine art glass and ceramics.
Some pieces from her collection have spurious signatures; she used these pieces in her classes and lectures to show some of the pitfalls to avoid in collecting.
A wide variety of other items such as Wedgwood Fairyland Lustre are on offer including an extremely rare, perhaps unique, advertising plaque.
However, it is probably the Tiffany glass section which presents the most covetable pieces and strongest investments, so we take a look at a few here:
Firstly, there is a Tiffany studios dogwood table lamp. The banded dogwood begins with a geometric background of heavily mottled soft green glass. The focal design is a band of dogwood flowers in various stages of bloom in realistic hues of mottled white, yellow and green.
 Tiffany dogwood lamp |
The foliage consists of striated glass displaying exquisite greens and blues, and the entire lamp carries a desirable green brown patina finish. Signed on both shade and base, and in very good to excellent condition, it is expected to achieve $40,000-60,000.
Secondly, there is a Tiffany studios dragonfly lamp. The fully leaded shade is constructed of heavily rippled glass in ethereal deep green and blue with green jewels. The dragonfly bodies are constructed in blue with purple eyes and wings, finished with a bronze overlay.
Supporting the shade is a telescopic six socket base with vertically ribbed decorated centre shaft ending in a decorated cushion platform supported by four curved feet. Completing the lamp is a pierced top cap that is stationary to the shade.
Despite several cracks to glass and minor solder work, the entire lamp is exceptionally attractive including a desirable patina finish. The base is signed "Tiffany Studios New York 21435" with the Tiffany Glass and Decorating logo and it carries an estimate of $40,000-60,000.
Last, but by no means least, is a Tiffany studios peony table lamp. The fully leaded shade depicts many peony flowers in various stages of bloom, using striated reds, mauves and pinks with touches of blue and purple in the petals on one side, whilst having large white, pink and purple peonies in full bloom on the other side.
The smaller buds are basically pink and many of the eyes are yellow. Spread in amongst the flowers are stems of green striated glass representing the stems and foliage. The background glass is exceptionally beautiful in various shades of blue.
 Tiffany peony lamp |
Finishing the shade is a narrow apron of two horizontal rows in aqua glass containing a small border of stems and foliage pieces with more of the background glass.
The base is signed "Tiffany Studios New York 357" and the shade is likewise signed with tags to the inside rim "Tiffany Studios New York". With very good to excellent condition and only a few tight hairlines to shade it justifies its $150,000-200,000.
James D Julia's sale takes place on December 1-2 in Maine and online, with online bidding available at an increased premium.
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