18" Flowering Lotus, Part 2

After transferring and positioning the foiled pieces onto the waxed lamp form, Irwin began soldering the 18" Flowering Lotus shade. While Irwin soldered the shade, Bill began selecting glass for another lamp commission.

When soldering a shade the molten solder runs downhill, so positioning the shade at the correct angle is critical to getting a nice beaded lead line. Our custom made lamp holder allows Irwin to adjust the position of the shade easily. Depending on the size of the shade and the angle required, soldering is done both sitting down or standing up.

With the soldering complete, the shade is cleaned and the lead lines are given an authentic Tiffany Studios verdigris patina. As mentioned in the previous post, the color inspiration for this lamp was a pond at twilight. The rich blue/purple/clear fracture glass used for the water was created by the Schlitz Glass Foundry in the late 1980's/early 90's. Skillful color blending was required to enhance the feel of early evening, and deep saturated colors were chosen for the flowers and leaves. Heavily mottled deep greens are enlivened by blended tones of orange, deep yellow, and purple/pink in the flowers.

The finished shade is shown on the Twisted Vine base. This piece was commissioned by a client in North Carolina, and is now in their collection.

After completing the Lotus lamp, we got a jump start on three lamp projects that will be completed in the new year. There will be lots of foiling and soldering to get through in January.

Century Studios is closed until

Wednesday January 2

Lamp of the Week: 18" Poinsettia

This 18" Poinsettia shade has a brilliant red flowers set against a sunny yellow/amber background and decorative trellis. Hints of green in the bottom border row give a visual link to the Kendrick Pottery base. This shade is warm and inviting shade was primarily made out of Lins glass. We created this piece in 2011 as a showroom lamp and it is now in a private collection.

18" Flowering Lotus, Part 1

For the past six weeks we have been working on an 18" Flowering Lotus shade that was commissioned by a client in North Carolina. With just under 1800 individual piece of glass, this shade takes time and patience to create.

Louis C. Tiffany had an affinity for flowering water plants and the lotus, with its large saucer shaped leaves and lush flowers inspired many lamp patterns. For the 18" Flowering Lotus, the long slender stems cascade down the sides of the shade ending in a profusion of bold flowers that encircle the lower half of the shade.

Our client requested a color pallet that suggests a water garden at twilight. Rich purple and blue fracture glass was chosen to give the shade an overall tone. The stem and flower colors were carefully selected to enhance the suggestion of evening.

Every step of this shade takes time and patience. Most of the hand rolled art glass we use is approximately 1/8" thick and for the upper half of the shade, the majority of the pieces are less than 1/8" wide. Approaching the top of the shade, pieces narrow to thin pointed slivers of glass. To be able to pick up and put down the delicate pieces into and out of the layout, we use a tweezers to handle each sliver of glass.

Several weeks into the process, the foiled pieces of glass are transferred onto the waxed form in preparation for soldering. Like every other step in the creating of this shade, transferring the pieces is a painstaking and time consuming process. The completion of the shade will be shown in an upcoming post.

STUDIO HOURS

Century Studios will have regular business hours through Saturday December 22. We will be closed Sunday December 23 through Tuesday January 1. We will resume regular business hours on Wednesday January 2.

Lamp of the Week: 16" Poinsettia

The uncomplicated color variations of this 16" Poinsettia shade give it a pleasing sense of order. Slight modulations in the green tones provide a calming counterpoint to the brilliant red poinsettias. The shade is shown on the Leaves of Grass Pottery Base (20" tall). Created in 2005 as a showroom piece, this lamp is now in a private, local collection.

12" Dogwood

This bright and cheery 12" Dogwood lamp was commissioned by a client in Massachusetts. Set against a blue sky, the pinks and white flowers co-mingle with fresh green leaves. The shade is mated with the Budding Gourd Pottery Base.

Lamp of the Week: 26" Poinsettia

The 26" Poinsettia makes an impressive chandelier fixture or can be used as a floor lamp on the Sr. Floor of Bamboo Sr. Floor bases. This striking shade is covered in lush red and green foliage set against a rich golden background. The shade This lamp was commissioned in 2005.

16" Turtleback

At Century Studios, we offer turtleback shades a wide range of sizes, shapes and colors. For this 16" Turtleback shade, Hand cut & faceted light yellow/amber turtleback tiles are bookmarked by rows of mottled geometric glass in deep amber mixed with yellow. This shade was commissioned by an East Coast client and is shown on the Flower Petal base (overall lamp height is 18").

Lamp of the Week: 18" Geometric Brickwork

Sometimes it takes a fresh pair of eyes to make a winning shade and base combination. This was the case with the 18" Geometric Brickwork shade we had on display in our showroom. Last week, a local client stopped by the studio looking to purchase a piece for his home. We were displaying the shade on a Small Stick base, which our client purchased and took home. Returning in search of a different base because the combination was not completely satisfying, he had us put the shade on the Artichoke Trumpet base, a base that would normally be considered too tall for the shade. The unexpected combination of shade and base instantly felt like they belonged together, and the client now has this lamp in his home.

New Shade Design - 16" Peacock Feather

Century Studios is pleased to present a new reproduction Tiffany shade pattern to our offerings, the 16" Peacock Feather. The bold design of this shade has the symmetry of a repetitive geometric pattern softened by natural curves of a feather. The shade was created for a California client and is shown on the Greek Urn base (overall lamp height 21.5").

Taking our color inspiration from an original Tiffany example, this shade is primarily made from Lins glass. The Lins Glass Foundry was based in Florida and closed in the late 1990's. Lins glass is highly prized by glass artists for its Tiffany-esque properties. Beginning with a strong amber tone at the top, the color shifts through green to teal, ending in cobalt blue at the bottom. These colors are reflected in the peacock "eyes" that encircle the lower portion of the shade. The playful coloration of the finished piece is bold, yet subtly modulated.

Lamp of the Week - 18" Grape

The 18" Grape is one of several Tiffany Studios lamp designs that incorporate a heavy cast crown at the top of the shade that mates with the Tree Trunk base. This shade features red grapes cascading amid lush green foliage. We created this shade over 25 years ago as a studio piece and it now resides in a local collection.

28" Magnolia Part 2 - Finishing the Shade

(Please reference our blog post from Sunday October 28 for the Part 1 post showing the process of creating this lamp)

Once all the pieces have been been wrapped in copper foil, the Fiberglas lamp form is coated with wax. To make our special tacky wax, we melt beeswax and add elements that keep the wax tacky to the touch. Each individual piece of glass is transferred and held in place by the wax so that we can begin the soldering process.

The exterior of the shade is then soldered together. The solder adheres to the copper foil that has been wrapped around the edge of each piece. The soldering iron heats to 800 degrees allowing the solder to flow and "bead". Much time and attention is paid to getting the rounded bead of solder between all the pieces of glass even and smooth. If too little solder is used, the bead will appear flat and sunken. Too much solder results in a lumpy look to the leading. Hot solder flows downhill, so the angle of the shade is constantly being repositioned at many angles using our custom made shade holder.

 When the exterior of the shade has been completely soldered, heat is applied to melt the wax that is holding the shade onto the form. When hot, the form is removed from the shade. The interior of the shade is then completely soldered. For any shade larger than 20" across, a network of reinforcing wires are permanently soldered in the interior. Large shades like this 28" Magnolia will be extensively reinforced. The copper reinforcement wires are soldered in place following the lead lines so they are not visible when the shade is finished. Once the shade has been reinforced and the soldering finished, the shade is cleaned and prepared for patina. The leadlines on the completed shade are patinated to match the coloration on the base.

The overhead view shows how the background sky color lightens towards the top. The blue/purple tones at the top blend seamlessly down to a deep cobalt blue on the lower portion of the shade. The flowers for this large piece were selected from a wide variety of glasses including streaky, mottled, rippled, and the deep hand folded drapery glass. To create a natural look to the flowers, many of the ripple glasses were positioned with the ripple facing the interior of the shade, creating subtle ripples in the petals. The flower colors are a blend of white, off white, pale pink, and intense fuchsia. From start to finish, the 28" Magnolia shade takes about 300 hours to create.

The 28" Magnolia is shown on the impressive Sr. Floor base in our showroom before being packed for shipping. This impressive lamp was commissioned by clients in North Carolina and now resides in their home.

Lamp of the Week: 16" Vine Ornament

With its autumnal swirl of leaves dancing across its surface, the 16" Vine Ornament is a cross between a representational and abstract shade design. The unusual mottled glass chosen for this shade are a mix of amber and peach tones, creating a warm, welcoming lamp. The shade is shown on the versatile Small Stick base (20" tall). This lamp was created in 2002 as a showroom piece and is now in a private collection.

Lamp of the Week: 18" Peony

With its unusual shape, large flowers, and infinite color possibilities, the 18" Peony is one of our most popular shade designs. For this example, we chose a limited color pallet where the background glass closely resembles the flower colors. This blended color approach gives the shade the impression of fullness, as if a huge bunch of peony flowers are bundled together by the horizontal border rows. Created in 2012 as a showroom piece, this shade is now in a private collection. The shade is shown on the Decorated Library base (21" tall).

CENTURY STUDIOS WILL BE CLOSING AT 1:30 on Friday November 9 and WILL BE CLOSED Saturday November 10

16" Turtleback

With its combination of geometric glass pieces framing a wide band of thick glass tiles, the 16" Turtleback shade has an tactile quality not found in other shades. Green and yellow mottled glass geometric piecework bookmarks the row of glowing green turtlebacks. Each turtleback tile is hand cut and fit to form the decorative element of this shade. Shown on the Flower Petal base, this shade was commissioned by a client in Connecticut to be installed as an inverted ceiling light fixture.

Lamp of the Week: 20" Geometric Cone

Geometric lamps fit into any decor and come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. This 20" Geometric Cone was commissioned in 2010. The shade pattern can be made in a variety of colors. For this example our client requested a warm, golden amber tone for the shade. The shade is shown on the versatile Ribbed base.

28" Magnolia, Part 1

With it generous proportions and lush foliage, the 28" Magnolia is one of the most impressive Tiffany shade designs. Depicting a Saucer Magnolia in full bloom, the dome shaped shade is covered in a fretwork of delicate branches supporting an explosion of flowers. This large shade is usually used with the impressive Sr. Floor base, but can also be used to great effect as a chandelier fixture.This Magnolia shade was commissioned by a southern client.

The 28" Magnolia is one of the few Tiffany shade designs that regularly features Drapery Glass. This unique glass is shaped and manipulated by hand while it is being rolled resulting in a sheet that has deeply folded and rippled surface. Used for the flowers in this shade, the glass gives added dimension to the large saucer shaped flowers.

Our client requested a classic color scheme for this shade, with white and pink flowers set against a fresh blue springtime sky. In the photo above, we have begun adding the first large drapery glass flowers to the layout.

Bill and Irwin worked closely together to choose the glass for this shade. As with many of our most complicated pieces, over 300 hours will be spent from start to finish on this project. Irwin is shown choosing glass for some of the flowers. Color, texture and transparency of each piece is carefully considered when selecting the glass.

Once all the pieces have been cut by hand and fit to the pattern, many hours are spent wrapping the individual piece of glass a thin copper foil. The copper edging will enable the shade to be soldered together. Bill is shown working on a section of the shade. This time consuming step of the process is very visual, so we often listen to audiobooks during the foiling process. Bill is shown at the top of the post doing a final check on the colors before the next stage of this shade's construction will begin.

More of the construction will follow in upcoming posts.

Lamp of the Week: 15" Spider

With its three dimensional arachnid silently resting atop its web waiting for the unwary to approach, the 15" Spider shade elicits strong reactions from viewers, especially when the shade is created in deep, brooding colors. The pattern is ingeniously designed with the cast vent cap representing the spider's body. Commissioned in 2008 by a Chicago area client, we created this intensely colored amber to purple shade using Oceana 900 Series glass. This unique glass has a cloudy, opaque surface that bursts into life with intense transparent color when lit. Unfortunately, this glass is no longer manufactured by Oceana. The shade is shown on the Mushroom base (16" tall).

20" Nasturtium

One of the more unusually shaped shades created by Tiffany Studios is the 20" Nasturtium. This is a good example of the design aesthetic of the shades - nasturtiums are low, trailing plants that will mound up in a garden, crawling over rocks and even other plants. The low dome of this shade gives the overall effect of a lush garden specimen in riotous bloom.

The 20" Nasturtium is a shade with a non repeating design. Leaves and flowers undulate across the surface of the shade naturally, clumping together in some places vying for attention. Nasturtium shades lend themselves to strong color choices, and we chose a vibrant color scheme for this piece. Mottled, streaky and textured glasses tumbled together to create a riot of strong emotions.

Shown on the Twisted Vine base (24.5" tall), we had just completed this lamp for display as a showroom piece when it was purchased by a New York client for their home.

Lamp of the Week: 22" Trumpet Vine

The 22" Trumpet Vine is a large turban shaped shade covered in a profusion of blossoms.  Many hours were spent carefully blending the complex mix of colors, textures and transparency to achieve this vivid color scheme that celebrates the beauty of art glass. The shade is shown on the Root Base (the base telescopes from 26" to 31" tall). This lamp was commissioned in 2014 and is now in a private collection.

12" Zodiac on Zodiac base

Century Studios is pleased to present two new additions to our offerings - a 12" Zodiac shade and the Zodiac base.

Tiffany Studios created desk set accessories in many patterns, and often included small lamps to round out the sets. With over thirty individual pieces (each sold separately), the Zodiac pattern was one of the most popular of the desk set designs and included four different lamp options to round out the set - a Banker's style lamp, a Harp style lamp for use with blown shades, a Turtleback Lantern style lamp, and this Traditional style lamp base which could be used with multiple shades. Taking our molds from an original example, we are pleased to now include this versatile base in our line of reproduction Tiffany lamp bases. The Zodiac base will work with any 12" or 14" shade.

The 12" Zodiac shade is a Century Studios original design. Using design elements from the Zodiac desk set and also Tiffany Studios' 22" Zodiac shade, Bill Campbell created this shade to fit harmoniously on the Zodiac base. The shade features pressed glass jewels surrounded by a Celtic motif of undulating border rows which divide the shade into quadrants. For this example, green and blue border rows encircle amber/yellow glass panels and jewels.

The 12" Zodiac shade also works well on several different bases including the elegant Torpedo base. The shade was created as a showroom piece, and sold to a local client within hours of being placed on display in our showroom this past week.

Lamp of the Week - 18" Oak Leaf

The 18" Oak Leaf is a generously proportioned shade with a wide border of swirling leaves and acorns bookmarked between upper and lower sections of formal geometric glass tiles. The mottled celadon green glass sets off the amber acorns and green leaves tinged with red and brown. Commissioned in 2016 by a client in Maryland, this shade was installed as a chandelier fixture over a dining table. The shade is shown on the Ribbed base (24" tall).

New Shade Design - 9" Iris

Century Studios is pleased to present an new original lamp design - the 9" Iris shade.  Designed by Bill Campbell, this petite shade is covered in Iris flowers clustered together in a impressionistic melange of color. Blue and purple iris mix together with lively green leaves and stems. The irregular upper border of the shade adds an additional naturalistic detail.

Intended for use as a table top torchiere lamp, the shade is shown on the elegant Doric Column Torchiere base. The classic lines of the column echo the straight stalks of the flowers in the shade. This lamp is currently available for purchase in our showroom.

Lam;p of the Week: 14" Arrowhead

The 14" Arrowhead shade is inspired by the arrowhead plant (Syngonium podophyllum), a plant with distinctively shaped leaves. This popular landscape specimen is often found near ponds and water features. For years, this shade has been mislabeled "arrowroot", but the original Tiffany price lists correctly identify this shade as #1418 14 in. Arrowhead Tall Cone (see Tiffany Lamps and Metalware, 2006 by Alaistar Duncan).

Created in 2017 for a client in Columbus, Ohio, the shade is a study in subtle variations of green and white, the blended coloration of which results in a calming effect. The shade is shown on the bulbous Shell Urn base. The squat body of the base is supported by the three feet which lightens the look of the base.

Studio Hours

Century Studios will be closed Wednesday September 26 through Monday October 1. We will resume regular business hours on Tuesday October 2.

16" Oz Logo Lamp

Designed by Bill Campbell in the 1980's, our Oz Logo shade has long been a dormant Century Studios original lamp design. We created several of these lamps for Books of Wonder, a New York City bookseller and then the design was quietly shelved until recently, when the lamp was commissioned by a client in Massachusetts.

The Oz logo appears in an illustration at the end of The Marvelous Land of Oz, the 1904 book by L. Frank Baum. This was the second book in the Oz book series and the first title to be illustrated by artist John R. Neill. It is hard to see, but the scepter held by Princess Ozma contains the logo. In 1907 the third book in the series, Ozma of Oz, features the logo front and center and Neill continued to showcase the logo in illustrations on future stories of the series.

Bill adapted the design as a decorative band for this shade, adding a pressed glass "emerald" between each logo.  The shade is shown on the Small Stick base (20" tall).