In 1932, the Stiffel Lamp Company was founded in Chicago, Illinois. The craftsman and artist Ted Stiffel created it to design luxury lamps. They produced thousands of bolts during the war for anti-aircraft guns but went back to making metal lamps after it ended. Ever since, they’ve been known for their luxury furnishings.
Mid-century Stiffel lamps can be pricey, especially in the right condition. Continue reading to learn about the most expensive Stiffel lamps that money can buy.
9. Custom Finished, Stylized Bamboo Satin Brass Lamps
Date: 1960s
Style: Mid-Century Modern
Material: Brass, coral
photo source: 1stDibs
These Custom Finished, Stylized Bamboo Satin Brass Lamps by Stiffel are made from brass that was stylized to look like bamboo columns. They have dual sockets and gold twist cords and have been rewired for US users.
They were made sometime in the 1960s. The coral pull chains give these lamps a unique little dash of color.
Brushed brass and coral give the lamps an iconic Asian/European design. They don’t come with the shades, so their price isn’t as high as some of the more complete lamps on this list. But these satin brass Stiffel lamps still sell for $4,800.
Did you know?
Brushed brass is finished with a duller look than polished brass, known as a matte finish. It’s durable, easier to maintain, and more resistant to corrosion than polished brass. You can always spot brushed brass not only by the surface but by touching it – it’s much harder to leave fingerprints on brushed brass.
8. Stiffel Blue Crackle Glaze TOTEM Lamps
Date: 1960s
Style: Mid-Century Modern
Material: Brass, glazed porcelain
photo source: 1stDibs
The Stiffel Blue Crackle Glaze TOTEM Lamps are made from blue porcelain that has been crackle glazed. The hardware of the lamp is made from satin brass. The lamps are in the Mid-Century Modern style, crafted sometime in the 1960s.
These lamps are known as totem or pagoda lamps, which are European interpretations of Japanese pagoda lanterns. These lanterns were used in Shinto shrines in Japan to represent dispelling the darkness of ignorance and returning to Buddhist enlightenment. The lamps are on sale for $4,800.
Did you know?
A crackle glaze is a decorative style used in ceramic-making that uses heat to create a cracked surface pattern that results from the finish material being stretched. To make the cracks more pronounced, artists often rub coloring into the surface to emphasize them.
7. Pair of Tall Candelabra Table Lamps from Stiffel
Date: 1950s
Style: Candelabra
Material: Brass, walnut
photo source: 1stDibs
This Pair of Tall Candelabra Table Lamps from Stiffel was made with a brass structure on top of a square walnut base. They were constructed sometime in the 1950s by Stiffel, using the Candelabra lamp style.
The tapered brass holders end in four candle-style lights that gives this pair of lamps their iconic look.
Candle holders with multiple arms are commonly referred to as candelabras. Lamps made in this style don’t require the multi-pronged design, but they still do it for style reasons. These lamps cost $4,900 now.
Did you know?
Candelabras go back to ancient Athens in Greece, when they were carried through sacred processionals, used to burn resinous woods for religious rites. These candelabra lamps may not be as sacred, but they come from the same stylish lineage.
6. Vintage Stiffel Cat Tail Floor Lamp
Date: Unknown
Style: Mid-Century Modern
Material: Brass
photo source: 1stDibs
This Vintage Stiffel Cat Tail Floor Lamp is designed based on the work of Finnish designer Paavo Viljo Tynell, who started crafting luxury glass lighting fixtures after he married Helene Tynell, the glass designer.
Stiffel probably imported these designs from Europe, though we aren’t sure of the exact year that they built this lamp. It was made in the Mid-Century Modern style that is common on this list, dating this brass lamp to sometime in the mid-1900s, probably around 1960.
The antique lamp stand has some scuffs and scratches but is otherwise a high-quality antique. It is currently being sold for $5,500. Significantly, this lamp does not sell as a pair, increasing its comparative value.
Did you know?
Arredoluce is another inspiration for this floor lamp, whose linear structures and adjustable arms are famously stylish in lamps manufactured in Italy. They were first presented at the 1947 VII Milan Triennale and inspired a lot of luxury mid-century brass lamp designs.
5. Pair Brass Stiffel Lamps
Date: 1970s
Style: Mid-Century Modern
Material: Brass
photo source: 1stDibs
The brass Stiffel lamps listed here have three sockets, made almost entirely of brass. They were made in the 1970s, making them some of the newest of the antique lamps on this list. However, like many of the 1950s models, they’re designed in the Mid-Century Modern art style that Stiffel has become known for.
The triple-necked construction and black shades give these lamps their iconic look. Not all of these antique lamps come with their original shades, so this $5,600 set would be ready to display in a classy room as soon as you buy them.
Did you know?
Finished brass has been going in and out of style for centuries. It was particularly popular in the Victorian era when the Industrial Revolution made it easier to mass produce brass fixtures than it had been to forge iron ones by hand. The Mid-Century Modern era made it stylish again decades later.
4. Giant Opaline Glass Mid-Century Table or Floor Lamps
Date: 1960s
Style: Mid-Century Modern
Material: Opaline glass
photo source: 1stDibs
The Giant Opaline Glass Mid-Century Table or Floor Lamps are crafted from frosted opaline glass in the Mid-Century Modern style. The lamp’s accents are done in antique brass with highlights of abstract gold plate and cobalt blue metal.
This pair of lamps was made sometime during the 1960s and now sells on the aftermarket for $6,250, making the two of them some of the most expensive Stiffel lamps out there.
Did you know?
Opaline glass is a milky glass that is mixed with oxides or phosphates to control its levels of translucency. The French word, “opaline,” refers to colored or semi-crystal glass created this way. It is sometimes incorrectly used to describe a specific color of decorative glass instead.
3. Large Stiffel Windows Lamps, 1960s
Date: 1960s
Style: Mid-Century Modern
Material: Brass, walnut
photo source: 1stDibs
The brass and walnut lamps sold here are from the 1960s, designed in the Mid-Century Modern style. These lamps sell for a high premium online, retailing for $6,500.
Mid-Century Modern-style furniture favors curved lines and minimalistic designs crafted from wood. It was a style forged from adversity since WWII both limited the available materials and emphasized new mass production techniques.
The futuristic optimism of the 20s-30s gave way to the mass-produced realism of the mid-century, which these large Stiffel window lamps exemplify.
Did you know?
The Mid-Century Modern style was coined by Cara Greenberg in the book, Mid-Century Modern: Furniture of the 1950s, from 1984. The style uses simple, clean lines without embellishing designs with details and decorations.
2. Stiffel Emerald Porcelain Statement Lamps
Date: 1960s
Style: Hollywood Regency
Material: Brass, porcelain
photo source: 1stDibs
The Stiffel Emerald Porcelain Statement Lamps are unique in being made of porcelain, glazed emerald green, with brass accents. The lamp is designed in the Hollywood Regency style by Edwin Cole, sometime in the 1960s.
This style is based on the Hollywood Golden Age of the 20s to the 50s. Set designers created interiors for films that emphasized retro décor and excessive details. They style is marked by vibrant colors and contrasts, metallic finishes, multiple textures, and small-scale furniture.
It coincided with the Art Deco design period, creating a truly iconic look.
These Stiffel porcelain lamps in the Hollywood Regency style are on-sale online for $6,800.
Did you know?
Edwin Cole designed buildings in the 1920s, adopting the most prevalent styles of the period. In 1948, Ted Stiffel hired him to create lamps based on his luxury architecture designs, which combined his architecture and interior design experience.
1. Stiffel Large Chinoiserie Ceramic and Brass Dragon
Date: 1950
Style: Chinoiserie
Material: Brass, ceramic
photo source: 1stDibs
The most expensive Stiffel lamp is the Stiffel Large Chinoiserie Ceramic and Brass Dragon. The lamp was designed by Edwin Cole sometime in the 1950s. This hand-crafted piece is made from brass, ceramic, and wood in the chinoiserie style in multiple colors.
The base is a dark octagon made from lacquered wood, which is an example of the lamp’s luxury manufacturing style. Its designed includes dragons and foo dog heads sculpted from painted brass to add to its Asian-inspired design.
This Stiffel lamp retails for $7,750, making it the most expensive Stiffel lamp out there.
Did you know?
The chinoiserie style is a European style that attempts to emulate the styles of Chinese art, architecture, and design. It applies not only to lamps like these but to theater and music as well.
Both the chinoiserie and rococo styles favor excessive detail and decoration as well as stylized natural materials.
