L.152

The only figural lamp from Wild & Wessel in my collection. This early W&W lamp (No. 532) was presented at the Paris World Exhibition of 1867. The time of origin is likely to have been shortly before. A male figure (a German nobleman from the late Middle Ages?) holds a thick vertical shaft that is decorated with a large loop. The glass font is attached to this shaft. I have the feeling that the figure exudes a certain pride.

However, the lamp on eBay was no longer entirely original. The cast zinc base of the figure had been replaced with a thick plate made of solid brass. The figure's left arm had a large tear. The glass font had also been replaced with another font for 8-line burners. The serpentine base had several broken off places. In the end, however, the challenge of making the figure look beautiful and shiny was what inspired me to buy it.

I filled the broken edges of the serpentine base with Stabilit^® and carefully sanded down. I filled the crack on the arm with solder and straightened it. I had the rather chunky brass base turned in a slightly arched manner and coloured in several steps to a structured surface with Faubourg patina paint. I then gilded the zinc figure with brass wax.

The beautiful-looking glass ball from St. Louis (presumably from a Modérateur lamp) with its cut stars is likely to come from a similar period of time as the lamp.

Lamp Data

Added by me:
Burner, glass chimney, ball shade and globe holder.

Cleaning and repairs:
See above.

Lamp body:
Base made of greenish-black serpentine, stepped, round, Ø 159 mm (broken off several times at the edges).
Figure of a nobleman made of cast zinc. The original cast zinc base of the figure was replaced with a turned brass block.
Font made of clear colourless glass, stepped, Ø 120 mm. Not the original Wild & Wessel font.

Burner:
8’’’ Kosmos burner of Wild & Wessel, Berlin.
Wick knob marked: W&W Kosmos.
Wick knob back with the typical W&W decorative cord logo.
Wick tube marked: 8’’’ Kosmos.
Flat wick 36 mm.

Glass chimney:
8’’’ Kosmos chimney. Height 248 mm, Ø fitter 36 mm.
Marked: Cristal Supérieur 8’’’ + crown and garland.

Shade and shade holder:
Ball shade of St. Louis (unsigned), frosted colourless glass, cut stars, 2 brass rings, without slip fitter.
Height 150 mm, Ø bottom opening 54 and bulge 159 mm.
70 mm globe holder for 8’’’ burners.

Lamp dimensions:
Height up to collar 43.4 cm, total height with chimney 71.2 cm.
Total weight 4940 g.