16" Poppy

The 16" Poppy is one of Tiffany Studios' most successful and popular shade patterns. Grounded by a ring of rich green leaves, the scarlet poppies stand out against a warm golden background. The slender stems supporting the flowers are represented by sinuous lead lines. Etched metal filigree enhances both the flower centers and leaves, giving the shade a layered, dimensional effect. 

Shown on the versatile Small Stick base (20" tall), this lamp has been sold and is in a private Midwest collection.
 

26" Oreintal Poppy Floor Lamp, Part 2

We recently completed the 26" Oriental Poppy lamp. Bursting with large open poppy flowers, the design has a bold energy that calls for exceptional glass selections. 

The distinctive red glasses chosen for the flowers are blended together from several glass makers. Art glass is colored by adding minerals to the batch glass. Brilliant ruby reds, created using copper, play off the orange/yellow tinted red glasses made with selenium, adding depth to the color pallet and giving each flower an individual personality. Set against a backdrop of greens and smokey blues in the leaves and background, the shade glows with an energy that impels a viewer to move closer to view the depth of color in the glasses.

The shade is mated with the sculptural Bamboo Sr. Floor base. Using molds taken from a rare Tiffany Studios original example, this heavy bronze casting was created at our studio using our local bronze foundry. Echoing the openwork casting at the bottom of the base, the 6" Bamboo Cap finishes the lamp with panache.

This lamp is now in a private local collection.
 

26" Oriental Poppy Floor Lamp, Part 1

Creating any stained glass lamp requires time, talent, concentration and commitment, but this is especially true when embarking a large shade. We recently completed a 26" Oriental Poppy Floor Lamp for a local client.

Bill Campbell spent several weeks painstakingly selecting the glass and composing the color scheme for this shade. This elaborate shade has 1332 individual pieces of glass, each of which must be carefully considered for color, texture and transparency. Bill's fine art training in painting and close to forty years of studying and creating Tiffany shades has given him a fine tuned sense for blending colors.

This generously proportioned 26" shade has 1332 individual pieces of glass. One of the three sectional repeats is shown above.

Once the shade was cut and fit, the process of wrapping the edge of each piece with copper foil began. The foiled pieces were then transferred onto the lamp form which had been coated with our special Century Studios house made wax. 

Irwin Terry then began soldering the exterior of the shade. The soldering iron tip heats the solder to eight hundred degrees. After every seam is soldered the lamp form is heated, melting the wax and allowing the shade to be removed from the form.

Large shades like this piece require the addition of copper reinforcing wires to provide the added stability that will ensure the shade stays true well into the next century. We will be showing the completed lamp in our post next weekend.

  

Studio Hours

Century Studios will be closed through Wednesday July 23. We will resume regular business hours on Thursday July 24.

 

10" Acorn

Tiffany Studios created many lamp designs with a decorative border bookmarked by upper and lower geometric tiles. One of the most successful of these patterns is the Acorn (originally called Vine Border on the Tiffany price lists). We recently completed this 10" Acorn shade, shown on the delicate Queen Anne's Lace base. The lamp's compact size and lively green glass makes this a perfect accent for any room. This lamp has been sold and is now in a private collection.

 

16" Woodbine

The 16" Woodbine is a shade that was designed to showcase exceptional glass. Also known as False Virginia Creeper, the woodbine is a climbing plant whose woody vines can reach over 65 feet in length. Like the Virginia Creeper, the leaves of the Woodbine plant change color dramatically in the autumn.

A geometric trellis covers the shade, giving this design a structure for the exuberant leaves to play across. The background glass is a green fracture/streamer glass made by the Uroborus Glass Foundry over 20 years ago. The woodbine leaves are a mix of mottled, streaky and textured glasses in autumnal tones.

The shade is shown on the tactile Mock Turtle base (21.5" tall). This shade has been sold and is now in a private collection in Omaha, Nebraska.

16" Fish

The 16" Fish is a boldly designed shade that features five Koi fish in a rhythmic dance. Created for a client in Omaha, Nebraska the shade is shown on the Lummis base (19" tall).

A lively mix of mottled, streaky and ripple textured glasses blend together, enhancing the movement of the design. Jewel-like tones of green, orange and teal give depth to the shade.

Filigree overlays are an important design element of this shade. Fins and tails on the fish are accentuated by the etched brass filigree, giving the shade a distinctly Oriental feel. Filigree is used in a handful of Tiffany lamp designs including the Fish, Dragonfly and Poppy shades. Tiffany Studios also employed filigrees in a wide variety of desk sets.