22" Elaborate Peony, Additional Photos

Here are some additional photos of the 22" Elaborate Peony shade we featured in the previous post. 

Due to the coloration and the way the flowers are clustered, this shade has a different look from many angles.  Like an Impressionist painting, this lamp grabs your attention and draws you closer whereupon the brushstrokes of color in each individual piece of glass are revealed.

When viewed up close, the variety of the glass used stimulates the eye. What appears as blended color from a distance becomes distinct individual colors that support and play against one another as the viewer approaches.

22" Elaborate Peony

Tiffany Studios produced many window and lamp designs featuring Peony flowers. The large, showy blooms come in a variety of colors ranging from white, pink, deep fuchsia, and vivid red. There are even varieties that produce yellow, peach, and blue flowers. In China, the peony was the national flower until 1929 and came to represent nobility, honor and wealth. Other mythologies include the flower being a symbol of the moon, bashfulness, and medicinal healing.

The 22" Elaborate Peony shade is one of Tiffany Studios' masterpiece designs. The intricate blending of leaf and flower provide endless fascination and inspiration to the glass artist. This pattern is often referred to as the Windswept Peony because of its delicate piecework.

This shade was commissioned by a client in New York who requested a bold color palette with vibrant blues and reds. Bill Campbell did the glass selection which includes ring mottled, streaky, ripple, and fracture/streamer glasses, all skillfully blended together to create the shade. Glasses from every manufacturer harmoniously coexist, each bringing a different point of interest to the finished composition. The completed layout is shown on the light table in the photo above.

Both Bill and Irwin Terry worked to complete the shade once the layout was completed. Bill is shown foiling each individual piece of glass by hand, a painstaking and time consuming task that requires attention to detail and a deft hand. Since foiling is a visual task, so we often listen to audio books while completing this task. Irwin is seen transferring the foiled pieces of glass onto the lamp form. The individual pieces are held in place with our special house-made tacky beeswax.

Once the exterior of the shade has been soldered, the wax is melted and the shade is removed so the interior can be soldered. All large shades like this one are given several copper reinforcement wires which are soldered in place along the leadlines on the interior of the shade. These wires provide the invisible strength that will keep the shade in tact for the next hundred years. Once the soldering is complete, the shade is copper plated and a verdigris patina turns the silver colored lead lines a rich red/brown/green that matches the patina on the lamp base.

The completed shade was mated with the large Library base. 

Lamp of the Week: 20" Nasturtium

Tiffany Studios created stained glass shades in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. The low mushroom cap dome of the 20" Nasturtium shade is the perfect vehicle to showcase the plant's large saucer shaped leaves and brightly colored flowers. The shade has a non-repeating design and is shown on the Decorated Library base. We created this example in 2001 as a showroom piece and it is now in a private collection.

10" Turtleback

This 10" Turtleback lamp was commissioned by a client in Maine. The warm amber tones of the thick, hand cut turtlebacks glow against the mottled amber geometric background. The 8 Legged Harp base is the perfect combination for this shade. The base has a slide which can be raised and lowered.

Lamp of the Week: 16" Pansy

The 16" Pansy shade features four clusters of delicately detailed flowers set against a geometric background. Pansies come in a wide variety of vibrant colors ranging from orange and red, to blue and yellow, and even black and white. The shade is shown on the Lily Pad, Pottery & Bronze base which was created at our studio, the two tone pottery insert being made to our specifications by Ephraim Faience Pottery. This colorful lamp was created in 2006 as a showroom piece and is in a private Midwest collection.

Wisteria Lamps Completed

After several months of dedicated work, we have completed the pair of matching white 18" Wisteria lamps. These elegant lamps were commissioned by an international client.

Each shade has close to 2000 individual pieces of hand cut glass, and each required close to 300 hours to complete. A study Tree Trunk base supports each shade by mating with an openwork crown of cast bronze branches. Sculptural branches insinuate themselves from the crown into the upper portion of the glasswork, giving the top of the lamps a three dimensional look.

Green leaves give way to cascading flowers which blend together in a subtle shades of white, off white, lavender, periwinkle blue, and moonstone. The signature irregular lower edge is a delicate touch that finishes each shade.

Glass Buying

Last week we traveled to the Chicago area to buy glass. Our wholesaler has a wide selection of hand rolled art glass by all the major manufacturers to choose from, and we were able to pick many choice sheets to add to our in-studio library of glass. On a glass buying trip, we typically select one cart full (both sides) to be packed and shipped back to the studio, but on this trip we found many exceptional offerings and selected twice as many pieces as we typically acquire. Each sheet of glass is hand selected by Irwin Terry and Bill Campbell. The sheets are carefully removed from their bins, walked to a light box to be viewed, and are then either added to the cart or returned to the proper bin. This process is time consuming and exciting, as well as being mentally and physically exhausting.The glass has been crated and is on its way to the studio.

Studio Hours

Century Studios will be closed Wednesday August 2 through Monday August 7. We will resume regular business hours on Tuesday August 8.