Year End 2019

Century Studios is closed for the holidays and will reopen on Thursday January 2. Here is a preview of the first two lamps we will complete in 2020.

We would like to thank everyone who has made 2019 an exciting and stimulating year at the studio. We truly appreciate all of your comments, questions (both live and on line), and commissions. You continue to make each day an adventure in glass and we are grateful for the opportunity to create pieces that will be part of your lives for years to come.

See you in 2020!

Lamp of the Week: 22" Poinsettia

The 22" Poinsettia shade depicts a cluster of plants bursting forth through a formal trellis. A variety of reds tinged with blue, purple, and yellow were blended together for the plants. The light blue background glass at the top of the shade deepens to purple and amber. Unifying these colors is the multicolored trellis glass with its hints of blue, amber, and green. The shade is shown on the elegant Artichoke Trumpet base (24" tall). Created as a showroom piece in 2015, the lamp is now in a private collection.

Century Studios will be closed Sunday December 22 through Wednesday January 1.

Lamp Bases

Our foundry work has increased dramatically in recent months, and we have been completing several lamp base projects over the past few weeks.

We recently shipped a Small Stick and Twisted Vine base, each going to clients on a different coast. A pair of Twisted Vine w/Arms left the studio on Friday en route to their new home. As we completed these bases, we also have three shades in various stages of production that will appear in upcoming posts.

Century Studios hours this week are Tuesday - Friday 10 - 5:30 and Saturday December 21 10 - 4:00. The studio will be CLOSED December 22 through January 1, 2020.

Lamp of the Week: 16" Poinsettia

The 16" Poinsettia shade has a geometric background with a wide decorative border of colorful plants. The warm amber tones of the background are a perfect backdrop for the lively greens and reds of the poinsettias. The shade is shown on the Flower Petal w/Arms base. This lamp was commissioned in 2004 and is in a private collection.

16" Dragonfly on Dragonfly Mosaic Urn Base

The 16" Dragonfly is one of our most popular Tiffany shade designs. The pattern has an elegant simplicity, with seven dragonflies hovering in formation over a stylized background. The delicately filigreed wings of each dragonfly overlap one another as they encircle the shade. A green glass mixed with blue was chosen for the body of the lamp, while the dragonfly bodies and wings are a mix of blue and purple.

The shade is shown on the elaborate Dragonfly Mosaic Urn base. The rounded shape of the base is decorated with sculpted dragonflies and flowering water plants in relief. The glass mosaic was painstakingly hand cut, fit, and applied to the base by Bill Campbell. Once applied, the mosaic has been completed by grouting the surface, after which the the patina was finished and the base wired and assembled. It should be noted that each time we create a mosaic base, the result will be unique combination of glass colors.

This lamp was commissioned by a client in Delaware.

Lamp of the Week:

The 18" Flowering Lotus Lamp is one of the most detailed and technically challenging lamps we offer. With almost 1800 individual pieces of glass within the confines of a relatively small shade, this piece must be meticulously hand crafted and assembled. For comparison, the 28" Magnolia shade has 1260 pieces of glass. Commissioned in 2017 by a California client, the coloration for this shade was inspired by the original Tiffany Studios example in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/4715). A rippled water glass sets the stage for the multicolored stems in the upper half of the shade. The flowers are created in tones of white, off white, and pink, with tinges of yellow, green, and red. The shade flares to an irregular lower border that enhances the natural look of the lamp.

The integrated shade and base begins with a wide cluster of bronze lily pads which rests firmly on the table. Ten individual flower stems ascend from the pads, making their way up inside the shade, each ending in a light socket. The upward thrust of the bronze stems is picked up and transformed into glass on the shade.  Each glass stem splits and follows the path indicated by the base as they cascade downwards from the top of the shade. These delicate glass stems end in a glorious explosion of blossoms.

20" Azalea

The 20" Azalea has several unique features which give the shade a unique personality.The unusual modified turban shape enhances the look of a plant growing upwards, spreading its flowering branches towards the sun in springtime.

The open flowers are enhanced with beads of sculpted solder representing the flower centers. The added solder gives the shade a lively three dimensional quality.

With abundant leaves, buds, and flowers covering the shade in a dense tangle, the overall effect of this pattern is lush. The background shifts from green mixed with blue at the top down to celadon green at the bottom. The flowers are rendered in striated and mottled gold pink glass mixed with whites. The shade was commissioned by a client in North Carolina. It is shown on the Grooved base (26" tall).

Holiday Hours

Century Studios Holiday Hours:

Closed Thanksgiving Day, Thursday November 28

Regular Business Hours

Friday November 29 through Saturday December 21

Closed Sunday December 22 through Wednesday January 1

Current Projects at the Studio

This past week at the studio, we have been working on several projects at the same time. After foiling a 20" Azalea shade, Irwin moved on to the next step of soldering the shade.

After more than a year of waiting, we finally received the casting for an Odysset Dragonfly Mosaic Urn base Bill began the painstaking task of applying the glass mosaic to the casting so the completed lamp can soon be on its way to our client.

We will show the completed lamps in the coming weeks.

Lamp of the Week: 12" Acron

With its straight forward geometric background and decorative band, Acorn shades have always been a favorite Tiffany lamp pattern. The Acorn shade was originally called a Vine pattern, but today everyone refers to this design as an acorn. This 12" Acorn shade is more vine-like in coloration with a lush green lightly mottled background and darker green acorns (or leaves). Complimenting the shade is the finely detailed Chinese base (16" tall). The design for this base matches the Chinese desk set pieces created by Tiffany Studios. We created this lamp in 2010 for a client in New York City.
 

22" Maple Leaf

With a slight chill in the air and the trees changing from green to technicolor tones of red, yellow and orange, Fall is the most glorious time of year to take a long walk outdoors. This colorful season was the inspiration when Bill Campbell designed the 22" Maple Leaf shade in 2012.

Commissioned by a client in California, the shade captures the day when the leaves have changed color but have not yet dropped. A brilliant blue sky is seen through the tree branches at the top, giving way to an explosion of brightly colored leaves. The shade is shown on the Grooved base (28" height with tall riser).

This shade captures the glories of a Fall afternoon without the need to break out the rake.

Lamp of the Week: 20" Poppy

The 20" Poppy is one of the most popular Tiffany Studios shade designs. The flowers in this shade are a mix of amber, orange, and purple. Hints of blue enliven the flower centers and petals. The golden background imparts a warm glow. Filigree on both the leaves and flower centers give the shade a unique appearance. We created this shade as a showroom piece over 25 years ago using Lins glass. The shade is shown on the Twisted Vine base (24.5" tall). This lamp is in a private collection.

What is in the Showroom?

With the holidays fast approaching, we receive many requests asking what is available in our showroom. Here are the pieces that we have made up.

At the top of the page is the impressive 28" Grape Trellis Chandelier. This generously proportioned shade displays a colorful mix of color and texture in the glass selection. On the left in the above photo is the the 9" Iris Torchiere. The central image shows the 12" Zodiac shade on the Torpedo base. Both the Iris and Zodiac are original Century Studios shade designs. To the right is the delicate 9" wide Chain Mail Lantern. The length of this fixture can be adjusted as needed.

The two 16" domed shades shown above can be used with many different bases. To the left is the 16" Apple Blossom on the Greek Urn base, while on the right is the colorful 16" Woodbine on a one of a kind Pottery and Bronze base that we made for our showroom.

The 17" Bat shade hovers expectantly over the sculptural Bat Mosaic base. The 12 Light Lily Table lamp will provide a warm glow to any room. We also have a 5 Light Ceiling Lily, 7 Light Lily Chandelier, and 8 Light Octopus Lily Chandelier and a 5 Light Lily Wall Sconce, and two single chain pendant fixtures with blown glass shades on display (not pictured here).

The 20" Waterlily on the Grooved base is a year long reminder of the lazy days of summer.

 All of these lamps are currently on display in our showroom and are available for immediate purchase.

Lamp of the Week: 22" Peony on Mosaic Turtleback base

The peony was a favorite Tiffany floral motif, and the showy flowers appear with frequency in mosaics, windows and lamps. The distinctive bloom has over 40 varieties and is known as the "flower of riches and honor". Peony flowers come in a wide range of colors, inspiring the glass artist to showcase spectacular glass when creating a shade. For this 22" Peony, a variety of orange/red, yellow/red, and textured deep blood red glasses set the flowers off against a purple/blue background. Rippled border rows enhance the three dimensional quality of this shade. This lamp was commissioned in the early 1990's by a local client and this was the first Mosaic Turtleback base we created at our studio. At that time, we used Studio Disselhoff to cast the metalwork. The glass mosaic and setting the band of illuminated turtleback tiles were completed at our studio. Since acquiring the casting molds from Studio Disselhoff in February 2000, we now make the entire base at Century Studios.

Creating a Century Studios Tiffany Reproduction Lamp Base

At Century Studios, we now make all of the Tiffany reproduction lamp bases we offer. At our studio, each base is made individually using the lost wax investment casting process. Our bases are cast in bronze at a local foundry, with brass and copper components incorporated into each base. Creating a lamp base has many steps, from pouring the waxes to wiring the base, all of which is all done by hand. Each of our bases will take several months to complete. We will be showing parts from several different lamp bases in this post, but we will begin with the Square Turtleback base.

The process of creating the bronze castings for the Square Turtleback base begins with a quarter section rubber mold that was made from an original Tiffany lamp base. We pour four sections in foundry wax, a dark brown wax that is firm, yet pliable. The mold is filled, and when cool each wax is checked and cleaned by hand to eliminate any imperfections such as air bubbles that might appear on the surface of the wax part.

For this base a second mold is used to create the light cluster stem in wax. Because the stem must be hollow, the wax is poured into the mold, swirled around and poured back out several times, building up thin layers of wax until the desired wall thickness for the part has been achieved. The hot wax must be at just the right temperature so it coats but does not melt the previous layer. Once all the waxes are cast, the parts are then taken to our local bronze foundry. For the next steps, we will be using a Mermaid base as an example.

At the foundry, the waxes are "gated". Wax rods are attached to the pieces to create a pathway for the bronze to enter the mold while the air in the mold has an escape route. Once the wax gateways have been added, the process of creating the mold begins by dipping the wax into a thin silica slurry that completely coats the surface. After the first layer of slurry has dried, the dipping process will be repeated about 13 times until the mold reaches the desired thickness. Successive layers are added in a more viscous silica slurry and the mold is strengthened by the addition of a crystalline silica which  gives the finished mold the appearance of stucco. Once completely dry, the piece is set into a kiln and the wax is melted out, hardening the shell in the process.

While hot, the molds are stood up in a large sand box and the molten bronze is gently poured into each hot mold. The bronze is heated in a furnace to 2200 degrees and a crucible of molten bronze is moved over the top of each mold and tipped to pour the bronze. In the photo, Irwin Terry is carefully pouring the bronze into one of the molds. Irwin is on the left wearing the green hard hat, and is mostly blocked from view by the man in charge of the pour. This photo was taken at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in 2001 where Irwin took several classes in bronze casting so we would be able to have a first hand understanding of the process and be able to interact knowledgeably with our local foundry.

Here is a link to a video of a bronze pour which was made at the foundry we use: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eSYMdWkTnw

Once the bronze has cooled to room temperature, the investment mold is broken away and the raw bronze casting is revealed. The gating is still visible on this Mermaid base, and not all of the investment mold material has been removed. After the gates are removed, the process of chasing (hand cleaning) and finishing the raw bronze parts will begin.

 
The gates and excess investment mold material removed, the parts are now ready to have a final cleanup. Drilling and tapping will occur at this stage as parts are being fit together. For the Square Turtleback base, a spun copper collar is added that will support the light cluster stem. In the photo above, we still have not drilled the light stem and added the light cluster arms and sockets. To reproduce the Square Turtleback base shown above, we employ the talents of our bronze foundry, a metal spinner for the spun copper collar, and a glass maker to press the turtleback tiles.

Each part used in a lamp base is then patinated to give the pieces a Tiffany finish. The patina process takes several days and each part is waxed by hand before final assembly. The electrical are added and the base is ready for a shade.

Lamp of the Week: 15" Spider

With its three dimensional arachnid silently resting atop its web awaiting the approach of the unwary, the 15" Spider shade elicits strong reactions from viewers. For this shade, we used a transparent sheet glass created at our studio (we no longer have a glass furnace). The lightly filamented glass perfectly captures the feel of a spider's web. Created in 2003 and now in a private collection, the shade is shown on the Mushroom base (16" tall).

Lamp Bases and Metalwork

Earlier this year, Odyssey Lamp Systems ceased producing their line of reproduction Tiffany lamp bases and metalwork. We have carried the Odyssey line of bases at Century Studios since we opened  in 1986.  With the demise of the Odyssey line, we now manufacture all the bases we offer.

In February 2000, Willy Disselhoff, an independent Tiffany reproduction lamp base maker, retired and the base molds we acquired from Studio Disselhoff became the core of our Century Studios line of metalwork. For the past 20 years we have added to our line of in-house bases using "Willy" molds in addition to making molds of our own.

Our bronze bases are cast using a lost wax process, and hours of hand work are needed to create each individual component. To begin the process, foundry wax is poured into a rubber mold. After hand cleaning the waxes, we take them to a local bronze foundry where each piece is coated in a ceramic shell mixture that hardens to create a new mold. The "shell" is heated, the wax melts out, and molten bronze is poured into each mold. Once cooled, the ceramic shell is broken away to reveal the raw bronze part. Each wax and ceramic shell produces only one piece of bronze which is then hand tooled and finished. Many bases also have spun copper and machined brass elements.

Several of our bases have specialty components, such as illuminated turtleback tiles and hand applied glass mosaic. Making a bronze lamp base often takes as much time (and in some cases more)  as making the shades these bases support.

In addition to our bases, Century Studios is now manufacturing the reproduction metalwork needed to make our shades. We have made these parts available to other lamp makers.

 Recently, we have completed many lamp bases for our showroom and for client commissions. We sell bases separately from shades, and bases may be ordered individually. All of our reproduction lamp bases are pictured on our website: http://www.centurystudios.com/gallery/more/lamp-bases

Lamp of the Week: 24" Snowball

The 24" Snowball is one of Tiffany Studios' most creative shade designs. Covered in leaves and large flowers, the design encourages unexpected glass choices. Set against a lightly textured sparkling blue sky, a wide variety of off white and cream colored glasses are mixed with amber and green tones for the flowers. Emphasis is given to greens in the leaves with amber and cream being used as the accent color. The irregular lower edge gives the shade a natural look. This generously proportioned shade can be used as an oversized table lamp, but was originally designed for use as a floor lamp or chandelier fixture. We created this example in 2012 and it is in a private local collection.

17" Bat Lamp

Tiffany Studios introduced the Bat Lamp around 1903 and only four original examples of this most unusual lamp are known. While Western culture often presents bats as harbingers of evil, Japanese culture associates bast with happiness, a long healthy life and wealth, while Native American Culture view bats in a spiritual light, symbolizing acute powers of perception, rebirth (emerging from and returning to their cave or womb nightly), and journeying.

The 17" Bat shade has three bats flying against a clear, starry night sky. The rich deep amber tones of the bats are set against a brilliant deep blue glass with hints of purple streaked throughout. The bodies of the bats are accentuated with cast bronze overlays. The unusual lobed shape of the shade adds visual interest.

We are pleased to introduce the Bat Mosaic base, which was designed by Tiffany Studios specifically for this shade. The base is cast in bronze at our studio and is finished with hand applied glass mosaic.

Following the design of the shade, the base has three bats in flight at the against a glass mosaic sky. The glass mosaic in the base is cut and fit by hand using reflective blue lustre glass with a purple tinge in the iridized surface that perfectly compliments the sky glass used in the shade.

This Bat Lamp is currently in our showroom and is available for purchase.

Lamp of the Week: 28" Dragonfly

The 28" Dragonfly (flying diagonal) is a Tiffany shade design full of energy and excitement. The swirling dragonflies dance across the jewel encrusted surface with rhythmic precision. Created in 1996, this shade is made almost entirely out of Lins glass with pressed glass jewels by Century Studios. Inspired by the sheets of glass, the color pallet of the shade is a lively mix of greens, purples and deep red tones. Intense blue in both the glass and jewels is used as an surprising accent color throughout the piece. The shade is in a local collection.

16" Dogwood

The 16" Dogwood is a bright, cheerful shade design covered in large open flowers. Pink and white flowers tinted with purple and cream are set against a fresh blue sky. The use of mottled glass throughout the piece gives the shade a sun dappled appearance. The shade is shown on the elegant Lummis base. This lamp was commissioned by a client in South Carolina.