One of Tiffany Studios' most celebrated lamps is the
28" Magnolia shade on the
Senior Floor base. Unlike most Tiffany shade motifs which were available in multiple sizes, the Magnolia was only offered as a 28" shade. We recently completed one of these spectacular lamps for a client in Los Angeles.
Creating a large floral shade takes quite a bit of time and patience. For this shade we selected a color scheme that is lighter at the top and becomes richer towards the lower half. Many of the large flowers in the shade were cut from Drapery Glass.
Magnolia shades have become synonymous with Drapery Glass - the thee
dimensional hand-folded sheet glass invented by Tiffany Studios. While
not all original Tiffany Magnolia shades employ Drapery Glass, its use
in this shade elevates this pattern to a higher level.
For our shade, we
culled one of a kind pieces of Drapery from our glass library that we
have been saving for just the right project. Much of the Drapery Glass
used in this shade was created by the celebrated Schlitz Studios in the
1990's. In the two photos above, Irwin is completing a final check of one section of the lamp and picking a border glass.
Once the glass has been selected and all the pieces are cut and fit to the pattern, each piece is individually wrapped in copper foil and transferred onto the form.
The shade form has been coated with a beeswax mixture which will allow the glass to adhere before soldering.
Soldering a shade of this size will take several days. In the photo below, Irwin is seen soldering the outside of the Magnolia shade. We use a special shade holder which was made to our specifications to be able to support the weight of these large shades and still allow us to tilt the shade to any angle while soldering.
Once the outside of the shade is completely soldered, the form is heated so the wax will melt and release the shade. Leftover wax is melted away on the interior of the shade before reinforcing wires are added and the interior is soldered.
The shade is finished with a solid brass lower rim and is then ready for cleaning. The cleaned shade is copper plated so the lead lines can be given a verdigris patina. Once completed, the shade is signed and numbered and ready to be displayed on the Senior Floor base.
This 12" Geometric Turban shade was commissioned by a local client for their Handel Floor Base. The client requested the green/orange/red glass to have an allover color mix with no discernible pattern to the colors.
The rich tones of the shade were achieved by using Lins glass, a glass that is no longer being produced. Intense blues, purples, ambers, and greens are mixed together to accentuate the movement of the dragonflies swirling across the surface of the shade. The multicolored glass jewels which dot the surface of the shade were pressed at our studio.
The shade is shown on the Bamboo Senior Floor Base. The bamboo motif of the floor base is a perfect compliment to this shade design. The lamp is topped by the highly decorative Bamboo Cap.
Creating a large floral shade takes quite a bit of time and patience. For this shade we selected a color scheme that is lighter at the top and becomes richer towards the lower half. Many of the large flowers in the shade were cut from Drapery Glass.
Magnolia shades have become synonymous with Drapery Glass - the thee
dimensional hand-folded sheet glass invented by Tiffany Studios. While
not all original Tiffany Magnolia shades employ Drapery Glass, its use
in this shade elevates this pattern to a higher level.
For our shade, we
culled one of a kind pieces of Drapery from our glass library that we
have been saving for just the right project. Much of the Drapery Glass
used in this shade was created by the celebrated Schlitz Studios in the
1990's. In the two photos above, Irwin is completing a final check of one section of the lamp and picking a border glass.
The shade form has been coated with a beeswax mixture which will allow the glass to adhere before soldering.
Once the outside of the shade is completely soldered, the form is heated so the wax will melt and release the shade. Leftover wax is melted away on the interior of the shade before reinforcing wires are added and the interior is soldered.
Every window project we undertake begins with Bill working up a full sized drawing/cartoon. Our cartoons are given a simple coloring with colored pencils, to indicate details and basic colors. Once approved by our client, the cartoon is numbered for production.
This summer has been chock full of window projects large and small. A local client commissioned a set of three piano windows featuring a water/pond theme. The windows depict blooming iris on the bank, lotus in full flower floating on the surface of the pond, and fish swimming merrily under the surface of the water. The windows can be installed in any order from left to right.
Once the cartoons are approved, we begin production by numbering each piece within a pattern. This provides us with a quick reminder that helps us remember where each individual piece fits into the design throughout the process of making the window. After numbering the cartoon, a production copy of the cartoon is created which will be cut up to use for glass selection. The original hand colored cartoon remains intact as the master plan for the piece.
The 22" Geometric shade can be used as a chandelier, floor, or table lamp. The simple geometry of the lead lines provides a symmetrical framework which is calming and shows the glass to great advantage. The deep honey amber/orange glass is a perfect fit for a large geometric shade. The warm color is inviting and comfortable.
The labor intensive process takes time and patience- on the right, Irwin is seen completing the final attachment of the Chain Mail to the shade. Chain Mail was often used by Tiffany Studios on chandelier fixtures to extend the depth of the shade and help disguise the light cluster. It is a unique Tiffany look that we are pleased to make available.
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