This Week at the Studio

 

This past week was a busy one at Century Studios with multiple projects happening at the same time. While Bill was foiling the 22" Dogwood, Irwin was cutting and fitting an 18" Geometric Turban shade. Once the shade was completely cut and fit to the form, we removed the pieces and Bill began foiling the lamp. Bill also spent time applying the patina to the Library base that will be used with the 18" shade.

Irwin began the soldering on a 22" Dogwood shade while Bill foiled the pieces for the 18" Geometric. As the soldering and foiling were both completed, we switched projects again and Bill began the cleaning and patina process on the 22" Dogwood shade while Irwin returned to the 18" Geometric.

The foiled pieces for the 18" Geometric are being moved back onto the waxed form in preparation for soldering. We have another 18" geometric shade cut and fit that waiting in the wings to be foiled so we are both moving back and forth between projects and tasks. It was a good week to listen to a P.G. Wodehouse book on CD while we worked.

Lamp of the Week: 18" Calamondin Orange Tree Lamp

 

The 18" Calamondin Orange Tree is a Century Studios original shade design. Calamondin Orange plants blossom and bear fruit simultaneously, lending inspiration for this colorful shade. With just under 2050 individual pieces, the pattern features a wealth of detail and is the most elaborate shade design we offer. Sprightly white blossoms and ripe fruit intermingle with lush green foliage against a golden background tinged with blue and green. Mounted on the sturdy Tree Trunk base (23" tall), the shade begins with its crown of cast bronze intertwining branches at the top. The glasswork cascades downward to its irregular lower edge enhancing the natural feel of the design. Designed and created in 2014, the lamp shown resides in a Chicago area collection.

20" Lily Pad

 

Water plants are one of the major design themes for Tiffany Studios lamp shades. The 20" Lily Pad is unusual in that it depicts the surface of a pond that is completely covered with lily pads but there are no flowers present. It is also one of only a few Tiffany shade designs drawn in deep perspective. The lily pads are seen from an angle and the large pads at the bottom become smaller towards the top. Because of the shallow cone shape, the eye views this as a shift in perspective lending the shade a three dimensional feel. The design has a layered horizontal orientation and the overall effect is calm and tranquil.

The 20" Lily Pad has only three design elements: water, pads, and a bottom border row that is comprised of oval shaped pieces of glass representing the rocky edge of the pond. The water glass is a wispy light blue with hints of purple. For the lily pads, Bill Campbell chose green glass with an iridized luster surface. While difficult to photograph, when experienced in person the luster glass adds a subtle shimmer to the surface of the shade both when lit and in reflected light.

The shade has been mated with the striking Twisted Vine w/Arms and Rim (18" tall to the shade support rim). This beautifully organic lamp base elegantly represents the underwater tendrils of the lily pads that float on the surface of the pond. This impressive lamp is new to the showroom and is currently available for purchase.

 

Lamp of the Week: 16" Bamboo

 

The smokey background of this 16" Bamboo shade provides the perfect backdrop for the stalks and leaves which cover the shade. The glass for each leaf is heated in a kiln and bent to follow the curvature of the shade. The shade is shown on the popular Small Stick (20" tall) base. This lamp was commissioned in 2012 by a client in North Carolina.

22" Dogwood, Part 1

 

We have been working on laying out a 22" Dogwood shade. This large shade begins at the top with a series of decorative border rows while he main body of the shade is covered in dogwood flowers in full bloom.

Irwin Terry has been choosing the glass for this shade.  Each flower has been carefully considered and laid out in a variety of whites mixed with pinks, greens, purples, and blues. In the photo above, the background and flowers have been completed and Irwin is choosing glass for some of the leaves. On most shades we choose the border rows after the other elements of the shade have been laid out to compliment the colors of the shade.

The pattern for the 22" Dogwood shade has two repeats. Now that all of the glass has been selected, we have begun foiling the pieces in preparation for soldering. The completed lamp will be shown in a future post.

 

Lamp of the Week: 14" Arrowhead

 

The 14" Arrowhead shade takes it inspiration from the arrowhead plant (Syngonium podophyllum). The plant is found near ponds and water features and is popular in landscape design due to its distinctively shaped leaves. For many years this shade has been mislabeled "arrowroot", which is a different plant. The original Tiffany price lists identify this shade as #1418 14 in. Arrowhead Tall Cone (see Tiffany Lamps and Metalware, 2006 by Alaistar Duncan). 

For this shade, a variety of greens and whites were carefully blended together to create an overall calming effect. The shots of yellow in the flower centers enliven the design. The shade is shown on the bulbous Shell Urn base (17" tall). The squat body of the base is supported by the three feet which lightens the look of the base. This lamp was commissioned by a client in Ohio in 2017.

17" Bat

 

The 17" Bat is one of Tiffany Studios most unusual shade designs. Three bats with outstretched wings fly against a nighttime sky.There are a couple stars dotting the sky and the undulating lower edge follows the shape of the bats.

Rather than a deep midnight blue, our client in Oregon requested a twilight theme with a lighter tone for sky and bats. Cast bronze bat bodies will be added when the piece is soldered enhancing the three dimensional look of the shade. The shade is shown on the Lummis base (18.5" tall).

 

Lamp of the Week: 16" Banded Daffodil

 

The 16" Banded Daffodil has masses of daffodils in full bloom. The calming influence of the horizontal border rows keeps the exuberance of the flowers in check. Warm tones of yellow, amber and green give the piece a friendly glow. Fracture glass was used for the background of the shade.This example was created in 2014 for a North Carolina client and is shown on the highly detailed Cereus base (with arms).

16" Turtleback

 

Tiffany lamps can enhance the style of any decor and this 16" Turtleback shade embraces the melding of a classic Tiffany lamp design into a modern setting through the use of strong color choices. Our client was looking for an accent lamp combining dark teal and orange to pull his room together and decided on the turtleback shade pattern. We had a nice selection of orange/amber turtlebacks, but finding a teal glass that wasn't too green or too blue was a challenge. 

Our client specified that he did not want a "green teal". We began by looking at single color glasses but the color always came across as too aqua, too cobalt, or too bright. After much searching, we hit upon a two color mix with the elements we had been searching for. The mix of sea foam green and cerulean blue blended together to give just the right tone for the piece. The mix of colors also gave us the opportunity to shift the tone of the background from slightly bluer at the top to greener at the bottom.

 The shade is shown on the classic Small Stick base (20" tall). After receiving the completed lamp, our client in Atlanta sent a note saying it was the perfect color accent for his room.