L.293

A Belgian center-draft lamp made of embossed and perforated sheet brass by presumably Albert Wauthoz in Brussels.

This lamp is interesting because it does not have any of the usual markings like company names, logos, patent information and the like, which is a rather unusual situation with the Belgian central air lamps. Only the font bears the name "Lampe Bruxelloise" (= Brussels lamp) at the bottom. This marking led (at least for me) to the assumption that the lamp probably came from the Belgian lamp manufacturer Albert Wauthoz, because of all the notable Belgian lamp manufacturers only A. Wauthoz was active in Brussels. The burner, however, is completely different from the well-known central draft burners of Wauthoz with the logo "Lampe Dite Electrique"; outwardly it resembles the Lempereur & Bernard burners; on closer examination, however, significant differences are also visible here.

Maison Hanniet, the second lamp manufacturer in Brussels, could also be the producer of this lamp. So far I have only seen two lamps from this manufacturer: The first is my lamp L.309, the second is a pair of lamps on the Internet that are equipped with the well-known burners from A. Wauthoz ("Lamp Dite Electrique"). There is no further evidence whatsoever. So I tend to believe that A. Wauthoz is the manufacturer. Further information from lamp collectors is welcome!

Another problem was the lack of the original flame disc. Instead, an L&B flame disc had been wedged into it. I constructed a replacement flame disc myself by using the flame disc of my other Wauthoz lamp (L.350) as a guide and screwing a large, flat disc (Ø 30 mm) onto an exactly fitting tube. Whether this construction actually corresponds to the original remains to be determined.

Lamp Data

Added by me:
Flame disc (replica).

Cleaning and repairs:
I cleaned the dark tarnished brass surface with very fine steel wool.

Lamp body:
Base made of ornamental, openwork cast brass, on 4 feet, Ø 190 mm. Vase made of ornately embossed brass sheet, partially open, with two screwed-on handles. Vase Ø 162 mm, with handles 247 mm.
Drop-in font made of sheet brass, decorated to match the lamp, with extra oil filler, at the bottom marked: Lampe Bruxelloise. Font lid Ø 153 mm.

Burner:
18’’’ center-draft burner of Albert Wauthoz, Brussels. There are no brands either on the burner or on the wick knob.
Flame disc as a large disc on a tube (built by myself).
Round wick Ø 33 mm. Calculated burner size 23’’’.

Glass chimney:
18’’’ Matador chimney with slim bulge. Height 267 mm, Ø fitter 63 mm.
Marked: V.S.L Deposé Boromica. (V.S.L. = Val-Saint-Lambert, Belgium).

Shade and shade holder:
Tulip shade, colourless glass, central part frosted, below clear glass with engraved motifs, fluted top rim.
Height 191 mm, Ø fitter 102 and top rim 148 mm.
100 mm original globe holder for 20’’’ burners.

Lamp dimensions:
Height up to collar 31.1 cm, total height with chimney 61.3 cm.
Total weight 2780 g.