16" Dragonfly on Dragonfly Mosaic Urn

 

 

The 16" Dragonfly shade is one of our most popular Tiffany reproduction lamp designs. Semitransparent deep green glass mixed with blue was chosen for its watery appearance. Seven green eyed dragonflies spread their filigreed wings around the shade. The shade is mated with the classic Dragonfly Mosaic Urn base. This base was designed by Tiffany Studios specifically for this shade.

The generously proportioned bronze urn is decorated in sculpted relief with dragonflies in flight above flowering water plants. Glass mosaic is painstakingly fit and hand applied by Bill Campbell. Taking inspiration from the colors of the shade, Bill began with a celadon green glass at the top which transitioned into blue on the lower half of the base. Once the mosaic was complete, the glass tiles are grouted and the patina on the bronze is finished. The glass chosen for the mosaic has an iridized luster surface which catches the light and shimmers. This lamp was commissioned by a local client.

Lamp of the Week: 20" Lilypad

 

 

Water plants and shimmering ponds often inspire Tiffany stained glass lamps and windows. The 20" Lilypad shade is unusual in that the design is drawn in deep perspective. The large foreground pads at the lower edge of the shade recede and diminish in scale as the shade narrows. The oblong leaves form horizontal rows above diagonally swirling water which gives the design movement. For this shade mottled and streaky greens accented with white and amber were chosen for the pads. A sparkling transparent blue green glass with a hammered texture gives the shade sparkle. The shade is shown on the willowy Grooved (24" tall) base. This shade was created in 2013 and is now in a private collection.

 

16" Geranium

 

If there is one flower that represents summer more than any other, it is the geranium. Bursting with colorful blooms, the geranium thrives in both the garden and the flower pot. At first glance, the 16" Geranium shade appears almost abstract in design with its crazy quilt pattern of lines in the background representing the multiple thin stems of the plant. For this example, a variety of mottled greens were chosen for the leaves with velvety red flowers clustered at the top. The background was chosen from a mix of fracture/streamer glasses. This shade was commissioned by a client in Texas and is shown on the Leaves of Grass Pottery Base (20" tall).

Lamp of the Week: 20" Daffodil

 

 

The 20" Daffodil is an elegantly designed Tiffany shade pattern. The inverted design places the flowers at the widest point in the shade, an inspired decision that  doesn't crowd the blooms into the smallest portion of the shade. The color theme of this shade is bold jewel tones, with yellow, amber, and orange flowers set against a purple and blue background. The mixed greens of the leaves and stems play against the lively border rows. Shown on the elegant Library base (22.5" tall), this lamp was commissioned by a California client in 2014.

 

16" Dragonfly

 

The iconic dragonfly remains one of the most popular shade styles created by Tiffany Studios and the boldly abstracted water motif lends itself to unlimited color possibilities. For this 16" Dragonfly shade, blue bodied dragonflies spread their filigreed wings against a fiery background. The granite textured glass expertly mixes red, yellow, and blue to create blazing tones of orange tinged with green, while intense shots of the original three mixing colors shine throughout the piece. The ripple textured upper and lower borders in blue reign in the excitement of the background.

This lamp was commissioned by a client in Illinois and is shown on the Tall Flower Petal base (20" height). Upon completing the shade, we realized that we had three examples of 16" Dragonfly shades in the studio so we took the opportunity to shoot a group photos. The shades pictured on the left and right are both commission pieces. The central 16" Dragonfly shade is available for purchase.

Lamp of the Week: 18" Nasturtium

 

Nasturtiums are a trailing plant with saucer shaped leaves and multicolored flowers that bring a burst of color to any summer garden. The 18" Nasturtium shade perfectly reflects the plant which thrives in a multilayered environment where it can climb and mound over rocks.

The glass for this intensely colored shade was painstakingly chosen so that the colors blend and shift to create a night and day effect. Rippled and granite textured glasses are sprinkled throughout the shade.

For the daytime side, the cerulean blue background plays against the orange, yellow, peach and pink flower colors.

The background of the nighttime side is made up of deep blue and purple fracture/streamer glass. The deep red velvet tones of the flowers mix with more intense oranges and purples. Shown on the Small Stick base (20" tall), this lamp was created as a showroom piece in 2016 and is now in a private local collection.

 

Glass

 

The arrival of new glass at the studio is always exciting and this past week we received two wooden crates containing 470lbs of sheet glass from our wholesale supplier. The glass arrived by truck and the crates were strapped to a pallet and delivered outside our front door. Removing the crates from the pallet, we moved each box into the studio.

Opening the larger of the two crates, we removed the protective filler and began unloading each individual sheet to check them on the light table.

Sometimes a sheet will crack in transport, so each piece is very carefully lifted and examined to make sure there is no damage before moving the piece to the light table.

Each sheet is checked and put off to the side until both crates have been emptied. We then dispose of the wooden crates and begin rechecking and filing each sheet into our glass racks, sorting by color.

Here is a short video showing the unpacking in progress.

Lamp of the Week: 18 Light Lily Table Lamp

Century Studios offers a full line of reproduction Tiffany Lily Lamps. In addition to the 18 Light Lily Table Lamp shown here, we also create lily lamps in 7, 10 and 12 light versions. This illuminated sculpture begins with by a cluster of heavy cast bronze lily pads from which the flowers ascend. Each stem supports a blown glass flower that emits a warm golden glow.

 

This Week At Century Studios

At Century Studios, we always have more than one project being worked on at any given time, and the past two weeks found Bill Campbell and Irwin Terry working on two different 16" shades and completing several lamp bases. While Bill did the layout on a 16" Dragonfly shade, Irwin worked on putting together several lamp bases. Completing the metalwork, Irwin then joined Bill to foil the Dragonfly shade and began working on soldering the shade.

Bill moved ahead with the layout of a 16" Geranium shade, completing the layout, cutting and fitting while Irwin soldered the Dragonfly shade. We will show the completed shades in upcoming posts.

Here are a few of the bases we have on hand at the studio right now. The Library base has been sold since we took this photo and we have several other bases made up at present. Any of our lamp bases and shades shown on our website can be made to order.