Blooming water plants were a favorite design inspiration for Louis Comfort Tiffany. Arrowhead, waterlily, lily pad, and lotus flowers appear in windows, as decorative elements on numerous items, and in several lamps created by Tiffany Studios. Tiffany’s signature dragonfly shades, and several fish lamp designs continue the fascination with pond life. We have recently completed a reproduction of the 30″ Lotus Blossom Chandelier, one of the most spectacular stained glass chandelier fixtures created by Tiffany Studios.
A beautiful flowering water plant, the lotus is often confused with the waterlily. Petals of the lotus flower have a distinctive shape, and most parts of the plant are edible and are used in international cuisines. The plants have strong roots and thrive in muddy streams and pools, inspiring many religious connections going back to ancient times. Lotus plants are heat producing (to attract cold blooded pollinators), and are one of the only plants which blooms and bears fruit at the same time. The flowers open at daybreak and close at nightfall.
Measuring an impressive 30″ in diameter, the shade is one of the largest stained glass fixtures created by Tiffany Studios for domestic use. 
This design may have originally been a special order – only one original example of the Lotus Blossom chandelier is known to exist, and the lamp does not appear on the original price guides. The photo to the right shows Irwin soldering the outside of the shade.
This bold design showcases these showy flowers in bud and full bloom, and this design is a perfect vehicle to feature rare and unusual glass. 
To create this shade, we have pulled choice examples of rare glass made by Schlitz, Lins (both of these glassmakers are long out of business), Youghiogheny, Uroboros, and some very unusual sheet glass made at Century Studios. A strong mix of pink, purple, red/orange and yellow were used to create the spectacular flowers in this shade. To the left, Bill is seen picking a fracture glass that will be incorporated into the top of the shade.
The shade is suspended from six chains which hook onto a cast bronze crown. The reproduction crown and fixture are created in our studio and the length can be adjusted to a client’s specifications. This impressive chandelier fixture is currently available for purchase in our showroom.
