New Shade Design - 22" Zodiac

 

Century Studios is pleased to present a new design to our line of reproduction Tiffany Studios shades, the 22" Zodiac. Zodiac symbols were a popular design element and adorned many items created by Tiffany Studios including mosaic panels, desk set items and lamps. The same symbols and decorative filigree work used by Tiffany on all their Zodiac wares appeared for several years on the cover of St. Nicholas, a children's magazine from that time. The artists at Tiffany Studios found inspiration in many places! 

The 22" Zodiac is a shade with many special elements. Each of the twelve zodiac symbols is represented by a brass filigree medallion. Additional filigree medallions adorn the surface of the shade. Each section of the shade has a large round turtleback tile.

Creating all the elements for this shade began in the 1990's when we acquired a pattern rubbing off an original Tiffany shade, the mold to press the round turtlebacks, one set of filigree, and an accurate profile for the shape of the lamp form. We began the process by making the lamp form, which is a modified dome/turban shape. At that time we pressed several sets of turtleback jewels using a friend's glass furnace, but the stumbling block was the filigree, so the project took a back seat to the other lamp patterns we were developing. We recently revisited this project, making the filigree, finalizing the pattern work, and having new turtlebacks pressed so we could finally put this shade into production.

Choosing colors for the shade began with the red turtleback tiles. The rope borders are a fiery amber tone and the areas inside each of these bordered vignettes is a lively mix of blue, yellow and green. For the background areas that surround the vignettes, we chose a rosy purple mixed with blue and yellow. The completed shade has a warm, friendly glow. 

The shade is pictured on the Large Lion's Foot base (28" tall). This lamp was created as a showroom piece and is now in a collection in North Carolina.

 

Lamp of the Week: 20" Azalea

The 20" Azalea has a modified turban shape that is densely covered with intertwining branches, leaves and flowers. The open flowers are enhanced with beads of sculpted solder representing the flower centers, giving the shade a lively three dimensional quality.

Abundant leaves, buds, and flowers cover the shade in a dense tangle, the overall effect of this pattern is lush. For this example, the background shifts from green mixed with blue at the top down to celadon green at the bottom. The flowers are rendered in striated and mottled gold pink glass mixed with whites. The shade was commissioned by a client in North Carolina in 2019. It is shown on the Grooved base (26" tall).

 

New Shade Teaser

Single digit temperatures and bouts of snow make February in Minnesota a good month to hunker down and work on projects. Next week we will introduce a new design to our catalog of reproduction Tiffany shade designs.

 

Lamp of the Week: 16" Cyclamen

The 16" Cyclamen shade is a rarely seen Tiffany Studios shade pattern. The flowers for this shade were made from "gold pink" glass that was created by Schlitz Studios in the 1980's. Gold can produce beautiful pinks (and purples) that have a distinctive fuchsia tone, which is perfect for cyclamen flowers. The delicate blooms hover peacefully against a blue sky above a blanket of dappled foliage. The shade is shown on the slender Grooved base (26" tall). This piece was commissioned in 2019 by a client in Massachusetts.

 

16" Acorn

 

The elegant simplicity of the 16" Acorn make this lamp design as popular today as it was in the early 1900's. Tiffany Studios originally called this pattern the "Vine Border, plain squares, dome", but the pattern is referred to as "acorn" today. We recently completed this 16" Acorn for a client in Omaha. The cheery butter yellow body of the lamp is accented with pale green acorns (or leaves). The shade is shown on the versatile Small Stick base (20" tall).

 

Lamp of the Week: 14" Dragonfly

The 14" Dragonfly shade is a small lamp with a large personality. For this example, green dragonflies hover over a jeweled pond of heavily rippled blue/green glass tinged with yellow and white. The ripple glass chosen for this shade was created by Schlitz Studios in the early 1990's (Schlitz closed in the mid 90's). We created this lamp as a showroom piece in 2015 and this glass waited patiently in our glass library for over 20 years until it was selected for this piece. The shade is shown on the Mushroom base (16" tall) and it is now in a local collection.
 

14" Geranium

 

The 14" Geranium shade is a compact lamp with a lot of pizazz. Deep cherry red flower clusters rise up from masses of sun dappled leaves while the fracture/streamer glass background provides contrast to the richly mottled leaves. The horizontal border rows anchor the design and add additional color to the lower portion of the shade. The shade is shown on the Mushroom base (16" tall). This piece was commissioned by a client in Nebraska.

Lamp of the Week: 18" Cobweb on Wheat Mosaic Base

The 18" Cobweb shade is an unusual Tiffany Studios shade design with thick, cast metal branches making up the irregular lower rim and extending up into the shade itself. The Wheat Mosaic base is intricately detailed with a hand applied glass mosaic background in between bronze wheat shafts and foliage in relief rising up between stylized tree trunks. 

Each of the six flattened sides has a cobweb anchored within the branches. Each web is different, with only one containing an industrious spider. We chose rich blues for the sky at the top of the shade that lighten and fade into the multicolored webs. The apple blossom flowers and buds are a mix of pink, red and white.

This lamp was completed for a client in Washington state at the end of 2019.