Thursday, July 31, 2014

Lamp of the Week: 16" Apple Blossom


The 16" Apple Blossom shade is an elegantly rendered Tiffany Studios pattern with a strong Japanese influence. Created in 2008, this lushly colored example features jeweled flower centers. Bill hand chipped thick pieces of amber glass until they were the size and shape needed for each center. This unusual technique, in conjunction with the rippled leaf glass, gives the lamp shade a three dimensional look. The shade is shown on the Lily Pad - Blown Glass & Bronze base.



Monday, July 28, 2014

New from Bur Oak Pottery


Century Studios has a new flock of Wally Birds from Bur Oak Pottery in Wisconsin. These delightful creatures are a welcome addition to our every changing grouping of one-of-a-kind, quirky pieces from this pottery.

Wally Birds were first created in the late 19th/early 20th Century by the famed Martin Brothers Pottery in England. Our birds are hand crafted in stoneware and sit upon hand turned, wooden bases - just like the originals. The pieces are fired in a wood-fired kiln and feature unique salt glazed finishes. With their removable heads, the are the perfect place to stash that little bit of birdseed you don't want anyone to find.

The newest members of our flock include:

Boris - Poised for the starring role in his next classic motion picture, this bird is ready for his close-up.








Blue Bird - This bird is ready to spread happiness, if you leave some birdseed out on the window sill.









Vicious Bird - With his hooked beak and gleam in his eye, this bird should be kept in sight at all times.
Sea Creature/Star Man Jar - This unusual creation is directly referenced from an original Martin Brothers piece. The grinning head of this grotesque creature removes so you can store prized objects inside.

We also have several other birds in our showroom.




Thursday, July 24, 2014

Window of the Week: Plum Blossom


The Plum Blossom window pictures a flowering branch from a plum tree in a vase. The window pictures a flowering branch from a plum tree in a vase. Three layers of plated glass were used to create the vase, and additional plating was done on the table cloth. The design on the vase was achieved by hand cutting a stencil on a piece of two layer flash glass, and then sand blasting away the thinner layer of colored glass to reveal the design. This window was created as a studio piece in 2011 and is now in a private local collection.

Sunday, July 20, 2014

18" Tyler




We just completed an 18" Tyler lamp which was commissioned by a client in New Jersey. The geometric background shifts from green at the top down to lighter tones towards the bottom of the shade. The warm amber lower border rows echo the colors of the scroll, which playfully moves across the surface of the shade.


The shade is shown on the Decorated Trumpet base. Cast in bronze at our studio using molds taken from an original Tiffany Studios example, this versatile base will accommodate shades ranging in size from 16" to 20".




Thursday, July 17, 2014

Lamp of the Week: 16" Daisy


The 16" Daisy Shade is a Century Studios hybrid of a Tiffany Studios shade design. The shade pattern is actually the 16" Black Eyed Susan, but for years Bill had been speculating that the pattern would look wonderful in daisy colors. In 2012 we decided to put theory into practice.

While this variation is a Century Studios' idea, it was not unusual for Tiffany Studios to change colors on an existing shade pattern to create a new design. One such example is the 22" Laburnum (when created in golden tones), and the 22" Wisteria (when created in blue tones).

The shade is shown on the Greek Urn base. We create this base at our studio using molds taken from an original Tiffany base. This piece is now in a private East Coast collection.



Sunday, July 13, 2014

18" Oriental Poppy



The 18" Oriental Poppy shade is a wonderfully detailed pattern featuring exotic poppies in full bloom. Commissioned by a local client, this richly colored shade showcases a variety of red and red/orange flowers against a lush backdrop of greens and blues. The background/sky is a lively mix of blues which deepens to midnight blue and purple at the lower part of the shade. The shade is shown on the stately Library base.




Thursday, July 10, 2014

Lamp of the Week - 18" Moorish Geometric



This Tiffany Studios shade design has a unique look that hearkens back to Louis Comfort Tiffany's earliest inspirations for interior decoration. The 18" Moorish Geometric shade can be used as a table lamp, or it can be inverted and hung as a pendant chandelier fixture. The shade is shown on the Doric Column base. We created this shade in 2009 and it is in a private collection.

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Lamp of the Week: 10" Azalea



The 10" Azalea shade may be small in stature, but it packs a lot into a limited amount of space. The non-repeating design has a border which divides the shade into segments and is covered with a profusion of flowers.

The Lustre Ball Base is Century Studios' own interpretation of a rare Tiffany Studios candlestick/lamp base, and is created in our studio. The cast bronze bottom has a feeling of open airiness and sits on 16 feet, while the 16 glass balls surrounding the foot of the base add further dimension to this sculptural casting. The lustre surface of the balls reflects light, and the look is completed with two larger lustre balls incorporated into the stem. We created this example in 2011 as a showroom piece and it is in a private collection.