12" Geometric

 

We always have multiple projects at different stages going on at the same time and have recently completed several shade and metalwork projects. This delicate 12" Geometric shade was commissioned by a client in North Carolina in warm golden tones.

We decided to cut a second 12" Geometric shade at the same time in a very pale butter yellow glass. Shown on the Torpedo base, this lamp is currently available for purchase from our showroom.

Lamp of the Week: 20" Daffodil Turban

 

 

Daffodils were Louis C. Tiffany's favorite flowers and they appear on many shades. One of our favorites is the 20" Daffodil Turban. The five horizontal border rows can barely contain the exuberant blooms which spill out towards the viewer. Richly toned yellow blooms play against the green leaves and blue background. The shade, shown on the Twisted Vine base was created as a showroom lamp in 2015 and is in a private collection. 

 

Foundry Day

 

This past Monday was a foundry day where we dropped off new waxes and picked up the raw bronze castings. In the above photo, the waxes are carefully placed in our vehicle for the 50 minute drive to our foundry. We go to the foundry on Mondays when the studio is closed because the trip there and back (with time to discuss the pieces) takes up about 3 hours. Foundry wax is dark chocolate brown in color and must be handled with care as it is susceptible to marks if it is bumped or scratched. The red colored wax parts in the upper right hand box are cast in hard jewelry wax that is used for thin parts such as the spider crowns and arm sets.

In the above photo, some of the raw bronzes we picked are being positioned in the vehicle for the return journey to the studio. We added a few more castings and padded the pieces against bumping and rolling after this photo was shot. The large central piece in black plastic is the stem for a Bamboo Sr. Floor base.

Here is a peek at our work table on the lower level of our studio with bronze castings at various stages of completion. Some bases have their light clusters already completed and are awaiting patina and finishing. The 18 Light Lily table lamp in the foreground has had its patina and is in the process of being wired. After snapping the photo, many of these bases returned to their holding stations so we could clear the end of the table in order to continue working on the pieces.
 

Lamp of the Week: 24" Snowball

 

 

The 24" Snowball is the deepest Tiffany Studios shade design we offer. While the shade is occasionally used as a large table lamp, its generous proportions are best suited for use as a floor lamp or chandelier. The irregular lower edge accentuates the impression of a large specimen with its branches bent by the weight of flower clusters in full bloom. We created this 24" Snowball as a floor lamp for a local client in 2018 with an emphasis on whites and blues.  A wide variety of mottled, streaky, and textured glasses were used for the flowers. The clear blue sky at the top of the shade is reflected throughout the piece, appearing amid the flowers and leaves. To keep the overall tone of the lamp light and airy, the abundant foliage has a mix of lighter greens.

 

Lamp of the Week: 20" Arrowhead

 

During the past week at the studio we found ourselves moving forward on several different projects. All of these projects will be discussed in future posts, so today we are featuring a bonus Lamp of the Week.

The 20" Arrowhead shade has a distinctly arts and crafts feel to the pattern. This design has a fairly unique Tiffany Studios approach - representational, yet stylized and rhythmic in its execution. Arrowhead plants can be found near ponds and streams, and the distinctive shape of the foliage is used stylistically to great effect. A sunset orange sky at the top sets the color tone for this shade and warm tones were chosen for each elements throughout the shade. Shown on the sculptural Cattail base, this shade was commissioned by a client in Texas in 2011.

 

Lamp of the Week: 16" Dogwood

 

This 16" Dogwood shade has a light and airy personality. The subtle pinks, pale greens, and light blue tones are calm and refreshing. The shade is shown on the Flower Petal lamp base (overall lamp height 18"). This lamp was created in 2001 as a showroom piece, and is in a local collection.

18" Geometric Moorish Shade

 

Tiffany Studios created a plethora of geometric shade designs in all shapes and sizes. The 18" Geometric Moorish shade has a unique onion dome profile and which is accentuated by the addition of a wide pierced metal band at the top of the shade. The geometric tiles are horizontally bisected by a decorative border row. To ground the design, the two border rows at the bottom have an arch motif.

Variations of amber and green were chosen for this shade. The solid green at the top of the shade subtly fades into golden amber above the decorative border giving way to warm amber on the lower portion of the piece.

An overhead view of the shade shows the subtle interplay of colors. Six different closely related glasses were skillfully blended to created this shade.

 Shades with an undercut must be removed from the form in two pieces. On the left, Irwin is completing the soldering on the upper portion. Once the upper interior is soldered, the lower half is positioned and the soldering is completed. A solid brass rim is attached to the bottom of the shade to complete the piece.

Commissioned by a client in Texas, the 18" Moorish shade was mated with the Grooved base. The tall slender stem of the base perfectly compliments the shape of the shade. The unique shape of the shade also makes an appealing chandelier fixture.

Lamp of the Week: 18" Wisteria

 

 

The iconic 18" Wisteria is one of Tiffany Studios' signature lamp designs. The crown of cast bronze branches at the top of the shade supports cascading flowers that finish with a naturalistic undulating lower edge. Designed to mate with the Tree Trunk base (23" tall) this impressive shade has 1945 individual pieces of glass. Traditionally rendered in blue tones, we were commissioned in 2017 to create a matching pair of lamps with white as the predominant color. Hints of lavender and light blue playfully intermingle with the white flowers and green leaves throughout the shades.

Each shade required over 300 hours to create and this impressive pair of lamps needed several months of production time to complete. The lamps now reside with distinction at the home of our client in California.