Continuing our study of Tiffany glass and the various techniques that Mr. Tiffany used to create his famous Tiffany lamps, let's look at other methods that he used.
A process known as Fracture Glass was used to create the illusion of leaves. This would create thin, irregularly shaped slices of opal ring that were attached to the surface of the glass. Large bubbles were produced in the molten glass by violently blowing into a long blowpipe, creating large thin bubbles that stretched the glass. The bubbles would cool, harden, and then quickly break and shatter into small pieces of shards. These small, irregular pieces of glass would then be pressed into the glass during the rolling process and permanently bonded together.
In addition to this process, Galaxy Opal would combine the broken glass and ground glass process as discussed earlier in Part 1 to create a combination of streamers and thin glass sheets. This would create the illusion of leaves, grass and branches when viewed from a distance. Both streamers and broken glass were added to the glass during the rolling process and became a permanent part of the glass.
Ring stained glass was a process created by Mr. Tiffany in the early 20th century. Ring stained glass is characterized by an irregular arrangement of colored spots. It is produced by localized heat-treated clouding and crystal growth patterns. Tiffany's style used glass and all of its properties to create and design without using color or other elements in his designs. Ring stained glass was used so extensively that it relied little on painted detail.
Last but not least is Drapery Glass. This type of glass was used by Mr. Tiffany in creating his large church stained glass windows. He used this method many times to create the effect of flowing dresses or angel wings. The process was performed on hot molten glass using a small-diameter hand roller that is forcefully manipulated across a sheet of glass to create strong waves. At the same time that the ripples formed, the entire sheet of glass was folded and crumpled. Making hanging glass required skill and experience. As the glass cools, the ripples harden and become a permanent part of the glass texture. Each time this process was used, it created a unique piece of glass, never the same.
As we can see from a study of the glass patterns that Tiffany used, from opalescent glass to Favrile to ribbon and refraction glass, wave and ring mottled glass, each technique created a certain look and feel that Mr. Tiffany was striving for. create in their lamps and stained glass windows. As varied as nature is in color, design and beauty, Mr. Tiffany tried to recreate it in glass. His attention to detail and precision in duplicating textures and colors laid the foundation for some of the most stunning pieces of art glass ever produced.
When choosing a gold opal ring, take the time to analyze the fixture you are interested in and try to capture the impression and effect of the lamp. Mr. Tiffany and the "Tiffany Girls" were true masters of the craft, creating works of stained glass as brilliant as nature itself. Using and combining several different glass processing methods, his creations have come to life and will undoubtedly add character and beauty to your home.
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