Thursday, October 29, 2015

Lamp of the Week: 22" Elaborate Peony


The 22" Elaborate Peony is a highly detailed Tiffany shade pattern. Due to the movement complexity of the piecework, this pattern is often referred to as the Windswept Peony. Created in 2005, this richly colored shade is shown on the solid Tree Trunk base. The lamp was made as a showroom piece and now resides in a private collection in Florida.


Sunday, October 25, 2015

17" Bat


The 17" Bat shade features three bats flying against a cloudless, starry sky.  The wings of the bats overlap, and the bodies are accentuated by cast bronze overlays. The sunset colored sky is dotted with the first two stars of the evening.

This is an unusual shade design, and only four original Tiffany Studios examples have surfaced over the years, a number Century Studios exceeded a while ago.

In the photo at the top of the post, the shade is shown on the Mushroom base. The other photos show the shade on the Dragonfly Stemmed Mosaic base.  This shade is currently available for purchase in our showroom.





Thursday, October 22, 2015

Lamp of the Week: 22" Maple Leaf


Created in 2012, the 22" Maple Leaf is a Century Studios' original shade design. The shade showcases the glories of fall in the Upper Midwest when the leaves brilliantly change colors. Pictured on the Twisted Vine base, this shade is now in a private collection.

Sunday, October 18, 2015

15" Spider


The 15" Spider lamp is a Tiffany design that often elicits a strong reaction from viewers. The shade, especially when created in deep brooding colors, creates an evocative mood.  The cast bronze spider sits atop the shade, eerily resting atop its web, waiting for the unwary to approach.

Commissioned by a client in North Carolina, this shade is packed with colorful emotion. The deep red of the lower portion of the shade lightens towards the top, enhancing the grip of the spider on the shade. The shade is shown on the beautifully detailed Mushroom base.



Thursday, October 15, 2015

Window of the Week: Pia De' Tolomei


We created this 3' x 5' stained glass window in 1991, inspired by an 1868 painting by Dante Gabriel Rossetti entitled Pia De' Tolomei. The image, of a woman imprisoned by her husband, was modeled by Jane Morris - who was having an affair with the artist at the time. This may have been Rossetti's statement on the situation! An exuberantly colored window, this piece features a wealth of detail and multiple plated layers of glass. We created this window for our home and it remains in our private collection.



Sunday, October 11, 2015

22" Turtleback Chandelier



At Century Studios, we create turtleback shades in a wide variety of sizes and colors. Commissioned by a local client, this 22" Turtleback Chandelier has been installed as a dining room fixture. The turtleback tiles were made for our studio in an unusual white glass that has a very light amber glow when illuminated. Irwin cuts each tile and facets the back by hand so no two look exactly alike. The geometric background shifts from a rich amber to a lighter tone, and the shade is finished with a deep metal rim. The three chain fixture was created at our studio.


Thursday, October 8, 2015

Lamp of the Week: 16" Dragonfly


The 16" Dragonfly is one of our most popular shade patterns. This design can be created in virtually any coloration and can be used with over to 40 different lamp bases. The piece shown was commissioned in 2007 and is made from "Circa 1900" glass from the Youghiogheny glass foundry in Pennsylvania. Hovering above a green backdrop, the dragonflies with their piercing red eyes are a focal point of the shade. The shade is shown on the telescoping Lion's Foot base.


Sunday, October 4, 2015

New Lily Fixture and Wally Birds



This past weekend we introduced a new 8 Light Lily Chandelier at the arts & crafts show. Our new fixture would be appropriate for a dining area or large entryway. The fixture can be made to various lengths with the addition of more chain.


A new flock of Wally Birds has arrived from the talented potters at Bur Oak Pottery. The six new pieces include (from left to right): White Owl, Leopold, Crooked, Beatnik, Plotting, and Thoughtful White Owl.


Thursday, October 1, 2015

Lamp of the Week - 10" Pony Wisteria


One of Tiffany Studios signature lamp designs is the Wisteria, which was made in several sizes and shapes. The 10" Pony Wisteria is the smallest member of this family of lamps. Starting at the top of the shade with a cast bronze crown, the cascading flowers intermingle with leaves and branch work, ending in an irregular lower border. For this lamp, we blended subtle white and lavender tones with bolder blues and greens to create a rich color pallet. This gnarled Tree Trunk base was designed specifically for this shade. Created as a showroom piece, this lamp is currently available at our studio.