10" Pony Wisteria

New to the showroom is a 10" Pony Wisteria Lamp. This Tiffany Studios design packs a large punch into a small package. This remarkable piece is currently available for purchase in our showroom.

Starting with a cast bronze openwork crown made specifically for this shade, the blossoms of the Pony Wisteria cascade down the sides of the shade, ending in a highly irregular lower edge. The lower edge is finished with a half round copper reinforcing wire which provides strength and a polished look to the bottom of the shade. Branch work continues into the body of the shade, giving the piece a naturalistic look.

With over 870 individual pieces of glass to be cut and fit, the shade has as many pieces as many of the large 22" shades! The flower glass for this shade was selected from a variety of mottled white, blue and purple mixes. The vibrant greens of the leaves perfectly compliments the flower tones, and the hammered background glass gives the shade just the right touch of sparkle.





The shade is pictured on the detailed Pony Tree Trunk base, which was designed by Tiffany Studios specifically for this shade. The base has three lights inside the shade, and a bronze turn knob to illuminate the lamp.

A Trip to Chicago

This past weekend, Century Studios was closed while we went an a whirlwind trip, driving to Chicago and back. On Sunday we visited the Driehaus Museum in downtown Chicago. This 1880's Gilded Age home has been meticulously restored by Richard H. Driehaus to its original glory and is open for visitors and tours.

In addition to the impressive home itself, Mr. Driehaus has furnished many of the rooms with portions of his collections of furniture, fine art, stained glass windows, and works by Tiffany Studios. Several rooms on the first floor have impressive lamps and fixtures by Tiffany. The smoking room at the front of the house features one of two 24" Curtain Border floor lamps on display.

On the second floor, there are two exquisite Tiffany Studios chandelier fixtures, one with golden turtleback tiles and the other featuring light green tiles. Both fixtures have blown lily shades near the top of the fixtures.


The museum is open most days and guests can take guided tours with docents or enjoy the experience with a "self guided" tour.

We often are asked where we get our hand rolled art glass. Because our sheet glass is created by several glass foundries located across the United States, it can be difficult to visit each foundry individually.

We find it easier to travel to the Chicago area and hand select our library of glass from the largest wholesaler in the country. On Monday morning, we got down to the serious business of selecting glass. Irwin is seen selecting glass made in Pennsylvania, while across the isle we selected from glass made in West Virginia. We also chose glass from companies located in Indiana and Oregon. The glass is now being crated and will be shipped to our studio later this week.

Closed This Coming Weekend

Century Studios will be closed Saturday May 12 through Tuesday May 15. We will resume regular business hours on Wednesday May 16.

12" Turtleback Lamp

At the studio, we are usually working on several projects at the same time. At the moment, we have two shades, a lamp base, and two windows going on simultaneously. This may sound counterproductive, but each project is at a different stage of production and gives us the opportunity to vary our work during the day. One window has been cut and fit, and is ready for foiling. The second is being laid out and is taking up both light tables. One shade is in the final stages of soldering, while the other is ready for foiling and final assembly. The lamp base is waiting for a light cluster and then it will be patinated and wired, ready for its debut in the showroom.

In the midst of all this activity, we have completed a 12" Turtleback shade for the showroom. The background glass shifts from a pleasant off-white down to a vibrant green, which sets off the green turtleback tiles. Displayed on the Budding Gourd Pottery Base, this petite lamp would make a perfect accent light in any room of the house.

22" Nasturtium Shade

The 22" Nasturtium commissioned by an East Coast client has been completed and delivered.

Large shades provide an generous canvas to blend colors. The glass in this large shade contains a plethora of colors and textures, creating unexpected juxtapositions of flat, textured, mottled, streaky, transparent and more opaque glasses. The glasses combine to present a lively rendering of Nasturtiums at the height of summer.

The 22" Nasturtium is a shade pattern with three repeats in the design. The brightly colored flowers mound realistically on the shade as if they are growing over the piece. As with most Tiffany Studios' lamp shade designs, the skillful rendering of the lifelike flowers makes the repeat difficult to easily discover.

Once the foiling was completed, the shade was soldered together and reinforcing wires were affixed to the interior of the shade, providing the additional stability which has enabled original Tiffany examples to last over 100 years in perfect condition.

22" shades are quite versatile and are well suited to be used as large table lamps, floor lamps, or chandelier fixtures. Our client chose the highly detailed Bird Skeleton base for the shade. This base features an organic surface with many cutouts from the legs and continuing on the stem which gives the base a light, airy feel. The distinctive Pigtail Cap completes the piece with an added touch of whimsy.

Back to Work

We are back from our trip to NYC and are hard at work on several projects. While Irwin solders on a 20" Geometric shade for a client, Bill is laying out a 16" Daisy shade. The background, leaves and stems are in place, and he is working on the flower petals now.

Century Studios Will Be Closed

Century Studios will be closed Thursday April 12 through Saturday April 14. We will resume regular business hours on Tuesday April 17.