Daffodils were one of Louis Comfort Tiffany's favorite flowers. There were banks of them on his estate in Long Island, New York, and they appear in countless windows and lamp designs produced at Tiffany Studios. Daffodils can be seen in photos of his home, blooming in pots placed on tables inside several rooms in the house. Mr. Tiffany even took photographs of daffodils which were used as reference material for Clara Driscoll when she was to design a lamp shade.
Tiffany lamp designs always feel true to the flower chosen because Mr. Tiffany insisted that the stained glass representations of flowers should be rendered life size and botanically correct. The size and shape of a lamp might be large or small, but the flowers are always rendered true to life.
Of the several 16" Daffodil lamp designs created by Tiffany Studios, and we just completed one of the most pleasing for a local client. This daffodil design has the naturalistic look of flowers growing in the garden. The foliage grows from the lower rim of the shade in clusters with the stems supporting flowers in full bloom. The foliage shows movement and the gentle rhythm of a breezy spring afternoon. The shade shown above is pictured on the Lion's Paw base, which is a telescoping lamp base.
Because this shade has an open, airy feel, we chose a crystal glass with green fracture/ streamer to keep the piece light. Fracture/ streamer glass is created by scattering paper thin bits of glass confetti and tiny strings of colored glass onto a steel rolling table. When the molten glass is hand rolled over these scattered bits, the shards will embed into the finished glass. This distinctive glass was often used by Tiffany Studios in lamps and windows to create unique background effects. The use of fracture/streamer in this lamp design gives a clean modern feel to the completed lamp.
We are, as usual, juggling several projects at once right now. Moving to our new location has put us slightly behind, but we are beginning to catch up with our orders! This week we completed a 14" Geranium shade which was commissioned by a local client.
Tiffany Studios produced geranium shades in two sizes: 14" and 16" (we created the 16" shade shown at the right in 2004). Because Tiffany floral designs are true to life, this popular plant was created in "pot sized" shades. The 14" shade (pictured above left) was mated with the Mushroom base. This base was popular in Tiffany's time and is one of the most sculptural bases created by the studio.
Our clients requested warm, summer tones for the background on the shade and cheerful red flowers. The resulting shade coloration resembles a peaceful garden at the end of a hot summer day. A backdrop of amber sunshine tinged with the red of sunset plays on the dappled green leaves. This coloration works well for both Geranium and Poppy shades.
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