14" Dragonfly

 

We recently completed this 14" Dragonfly shade as a showroom lamp. The body of the lamp is a fiery mix of yellow and red, with accents of teal green lightly mixed throughout. Six green bodied dragonflies with smokey blue wings hover across the bejeweled surface of this compact shade. The shade is mated with the Miniature Tree Trunk base (also called the Pony Tree Trunk, 16" tall). This colorful lamp is currently available for purchase from our showroom.

 

Lamp of the Week: 22" Nasturtium

 

The 22" Nasturtium is a bold shade pattern that calls for an expressive use of glass. Commissioned by a Chicago area client in 2001, this shade has strong colors and an interesting variety in the glasses. Rippled and granite textures are used throughout , giving the shade a shimmering presence. This expressive shade was mated with the equally impressive Mosaic Turtleback base.

After receiving the base, our client christened it, "The mother of all bases!" We couldn't agree more that this large base has all the bells and whistles. The band of turtleback tiles is illuminated from within, while the mosaic on the lower portion is viewed in reflected light. We can create this base with green, gold or red turtleback tiles. The glass mosaic on the lower half of the base can be done in any color. 

 

Mosaic Lamp Bases

 

Lamp bases decorated with glass mosaic were something of a specialty at Tiffany Studios. At Century Studios, we reproduce half a dozen Tiffany base designs that incorporate glass mosaic and we recently completed these two mosaic lamp bases. The glass used in the mosaic for both bases is a reproduction Tiffany lustre sheet glass that has a shimmering surface which catches the light from different angles. Applying glass mosaic to the sculpted bronze bases takes a lot of time and infinite patience. Bill Campbell fits and applies all the glass mosaic to our bases. Both of these sturdy bases have arm supports for 16" shades.

The Arrowhead Mosaic Urn base is decorated with the distinctively shaped leaves of the arrowhead plant in bronze relief.  Glass mosaic fills the spaces between the leaves which can be interpreted as water or sky. Any 16" shade can be used with this base. This impressive base is currently available for purchase from our showroom.

The Dragonfly Mosaic Urn is an early Tiffany Studios base design. Originally created for use with the 16" Dragonfly shade, this base will accommodate any 16" shade. The base is alive with bronze dragonflies in low relief swirling amid flowering arrowhead plants. The lustre glass chosen for this base is a mix of blues and greens. This Dragonfly Mosaic Urn was commissioned by a local client.

Lamp of the Week: 14" Shade Group

 

Back in the early 1990's, not long after we moved our studio to downtown Minneapolis' North Loop Warehouse District, we decided to have a showroom event which would include all the smaller shade styles we offered at that time.  We titled the display Tiffany In Bloom and included the six 14" shades pictured. We also included larger lamps in the display, but the showcase was on small accent lamps in a variety of colors and styles. At Century Studios, we currently offer more than 175 shade designs with over 40 patterns being smaller than 16" shades.

Back Row, Left to Right: 14" Crocus, 14" Geranium, 14" Dragonfly
Center: 14" Daffodil
Front Row, Left to Right: 14" Acorn, 14" Tulip

Spider Lamp

 

The 15" Spider is a Tiffany lamp design that imparts an evocative mood, especially when rendered in deeply saturated colors.  A cast bronze spider straddles the shade, eerily resting atop its web. Our client requested a color shift from green to red for this shade, emphasizing strong red as the main color.

Commissioned by a client in North Carolina, the shade is shown on the beautifully detailed cast bronze Mushroom base (16" tall).

 

Lamp of the Week: 10" Turtleback

 

Small lamps can have a big impact in a room, and this 10" Turtleback shade is a perfect example of a petite lamp with a lot of personality. Commissioned by a local client in 2013, the glass in the shade is a light spring green that is bisected with a green turtleback band. The shade is shown on the Ruffle base (17" overall lamp height).

 

New Lamp Base

 

Century Studios is pleased to introduce a new cast bronze lamp base to our line of reproduction Tiffany metalwork. The Large Lion's Foot base has an elegant profile that will compliment any 22" to 24" shade design. The four legs with anthropomorphic feet, and slim profile, give the base a feeling of airiness. At 28" tall, the height of the Large Lion's Foot base can be increased by extending the slide that is nestled inside the legs.

Lamp of the Week: 20" Poppy

 

The 20" Poppy shade is a classic Tiffany Studios lamp design. The warm golden background provides a calming backdrop for the gently swaying red flowers. The filigreed leaves and flower centers add a level of three dimensional interest to the shade. Commissioned by an East Coast client in 2016, the shade  is shown on the elegant Library base.

This Week At Century Studios

 

We began the week on Monday with a trip to the foundry to drop off waxes and pick up the raw bronzes for upcoming lamp base projects. Because it eats up half a day to get to the foundry and back again, we schedule our trips on Mondays when the studio is closed. Back at the studio on Tuesday, Bill Campbell continued his mosaic work on an Arrowroot Urn base. He will move on to the mosaic for a Dragonfly Mosaic Urn this coming week.

Meanwhile, Irwin Terry has been in soldering mode. After completing the soldering on one shade, he moved on to begin soldering a 14" Dragonfly which will be completed next week.