The 25″ Mandarin Lotus is a symmetrically complex shade with an undulating accordion pleat surface. Tiffany Studios fashioned the shade to represent a large lotus leaf, with each lead line representing a vein in the leaf. Each of the 24 peaked ribs of the shade have a hand applied copper wire which accentuates the veining. The wires bisect seven times on their path from the top of the shade to the outer border. The rim of the shade is finished with a half round copper wire, providing additional strength to the shade.
In 2012 we visited the Huntington Library and Gardens in California and snapped this photo in the Lily Pond Garden. It is difficult to get a sense of scale from the photo, but many of the large Lotus leaves are two feet in diameter.
The Mandarin Lotus base (also called the Ribbed Lotus base) represents the slender stalks that support the large leaves, and was designed by Tiffany Studios specifically for this shade. We created both the shade and bronze base for this lamp. This lamp was commissioned by a West Coast client.
