A very well-known and famous type of antique glass lamp shade is the Tiffany. It is now imitated in department stores and malls. But one look at the real thing will demonstrate to even the most casual observer why they are so sought-after. The Tiffany shades look impossibly delicate and difficult to construct. Imitations invariably look blocky encumbered by the feeling of being mass manufactured.
Most people upon closer inspection will be able to see that the lamp is made of tiny panes of colored, stained glass. The stained glass does not rest on a frame nor a substrate of any sort. In fact, the tiny panes of glass are held up by each other, glued or soldered together. This is why it is so easy to break a Tiffany shade: there is nothing holding up the stained glass.
Tiffany himself made these lamps by putting all the pieces onto a mold to act as a stabilizing base. It was on this base where they were glued and soldered together to keep them in place. A solid ring on both the top and bottom helps a bit to keep everything in place once the mold was removed. The restorer’s job is complicated by the fact that he or she has to recreate the mold. Occasionally, a very serious restoration job requires complete disassembly of the entire shade.
Tiffany glass shades are closely connected to the illustrious jewelry store that is famed all over the world. The designer, Louis Comfort Tiffany, lived almost a hundred years ago, creating art and improving the area of interior decorating. There are two main reasons why Tiffany indulged in lamp shades. The first is that he had classical training in the arts and understood the construction of stained glass windows in churches. The second is that he was by trade also an interior designer who thought up novel home decor ideas. The Tiffany lamp shades are made up of panes of stained glass framed in metal, the construction of which mirrors church windows. When lit, they became brilliant scenes drawn from natural scenes such as animals, insects and landscapes.
The term torchiere brings to mind a standing lamp with just one light at the top. In many homes torchiere lamp shades are used in places that require soothing lighting. The shade is most often a broad conical shape opening upward to cast the light across a wide area, meaning that the light softly filters evenly all over the room. Torchiere glass shades may be obtained in a variety of tones and widths. Measure the diameter on top to get the catalog size and in addition the lower side where the fitter connects to the shade.
Glass lamp shades are available in a number of sizes and shapes. The designs carry rich names, such as hurricane glass shades and gas lamp shades. The hurricane design bears a very special shape, its height exceeds the width, not unlike the shape of a vase. It meshes well with very tall ceilings that is completed by the tallness of the hurricane lamp shade. Another interesting shade is the historical gas lamp shade that saw itself popularized in the time of Queen Victoria’s reign. The day and age observed the spread of gas power gas lights and the consequent increase in both number and artistic styles.
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