The 18″ Flowering Lotus is one of Tiffany Studios’ most ornate lamp designs.
The integrated shade and base work together to create an illuminated sculpture that starts at the table with a profusion of cast bronze lily pads.
The 10 Light Lily Pad base (27.5″ tall) has a vertical thrust of ten individual light stems that rise up to form a column that supports the shade. Each stem ends in a light socket that illuminates the shade at multiple levels.
The upward trajectory of the bronze stems continues into the design of the shade as the glass flower stems split into a cascade that splays forth from the top of the shade like a waterfall. The stems and water at the top of the shade must be painstakingly cut, fit, foiled and soldered with precision as many of the upper pieces are slivers of glass that are narrower than the thickness of the glass. A series of eight vent holes were designed into the shade to allow the heat from the lights to dissipate.
The lower half of the shade is covered in lotus flowers and leaves. For this shade we selected an exuberant mix of pink glasses for the flowers themselves. The colorful stems are set against a watery background of blues and purples.
Each step in the creation of this lamp takes time, patience and determination. After the layout, cutting, fitting and foiling, Bill Campbell is shown transferring each piece individually onto the waxed form.
Irwin Terry is soldering the outside of the shade before removing it from the form, adding reinforcement wires and completing the inside soldering.
At Century Studios, we create both the shade and base for each reproduction lamp we make. After pouring waxes for each part, we use a local foundry to cast the parts in bronze. The raw bronze is then fit and finished at our studio and each part is given a verdigris patina. The patina on the parts for the 10 Light Lily Pad base are shown drying before being lacquered, waxed and final assembly.
This lamp was created for a client in Georgia and has been sold.
