Lamps Predominantly Made of Brass
Zinc casting, which played a very dominant role in lamps of Germany and Austria and was used in France at least for sculptural lamps, hardly ever appears in British lamps. The most common metal used for lamps here is brass, both as stamped sheet metal and in cast form.
Brass lamps
From left: L.004 und L.048 (both by Hinks) – L.320 (Messenger) – L.359 (Martin) / L.164 (Hinks) – L.304 (L&B Great Britain) – L.169
L.004 is a relatively early brass Hinks lamp in urn form. The vase is ornamentally punched. The burner is also an early Hinks burner before 1878, still with two wick knob axles. The ball shade is probably from the first quarter of the 20th century.
L.048 is a Hinks lamp with a very rare Hinks burner that has a special opening to insert a match and light the burner without having to remove the shade and chimney. This burner was patented in 1880. The lamp carries a ball shade by Vianne.
The richly ornamented brass lamp L.320 is by Messenger. This lamp was probably also marketed in France, as it has a French dealer's stamp. The Messenger burner has the typical gallery lifter with the sliding lever.
L.359 is a typical lamp from the Martin company in Birmingham. The lamp does not have a spectacular appearance; the Martin burner, on the other hand, is a rare speciality: here, two flat wicks are regulated separately with two wick knobs and joined at the top to form a round wick. This burner is thus a combination of the English Duplex burner and the German round burner.
The lamp L.164 by Hinks is a distinguished Arts & Crafts style lamp, paired with elegant Art Nouveau elements. The drop-in font is made of copper. The copper-coloured tulip shade is probably a product of the second half of the 20th century.
L.304 is again a very beautiful example in Arts & Crafts style. This lamp complete with its burner is from the British branch Midland Lighting Co. in Birmingham of the Belgian manufacturer Lempereur & Bernard. This British version from 1884 is also called "Lampe Belge". The tulip shade made of opaline glass belongs to a somewhat later period.
The later, plain pillar lamp L.169 bears a dedication plaque from 1927 on the occasion of a golden wedding anniversary and is thus one of the rarest lamps to profess its own history. The central draft burner is by Young. The tulip shade on this lamp is printed pressed glass and is likely to have been made around the middle of the 20th century.
Lamps with the very typical stoneware base are compiled in the next picture.
Brass and zinc cast lamps with stoneware bases
From left: L.118 – L.129 – L.245 / L.315 (Messenger) – L.047 (Veritas) – L.311
The first 5 lamps in the photo above share a common design principle: a short column of sheet brass is placed on a black-glazed stoneware base, supporting the font at the top.
L.118 with its painted blue glass font and its rare turquoise-blue tulip shade is a fine example of this type of lamp. This lamp took the long way from Canada to me. The burner is by Rowatts & Sons.
The base of the lamp L.129 is made of deceptively similar, black painted sheet iron, thus it has the typical appearance of a black-glazed stoneware base. The font is made of painted opal glass.
The lamp L.245 has a special place in my collection because it carries a larger cardboard shade that I constructed myself from an old French pattern. This shade has three recessed windows, which are covered with colourfully printed foils. Young's 15’’’ Victoria flat burner has the correct, rare Victoria chimney.
Much more unspectacular are L.315 by Messenger with a "beehive" globe shade and L.047 by Veritas with its original Veritas ball shade. Both lamps are pictured in the respective catalogues. The Veritas lamp probably belongs to the transitional period from Art Nouveau to Art Deco.
The last lamp in the photo, L.311, is my only British lamp with a cast zinc sculpture. The perfectly modelled female figure carries the glass font high above her head. This lamp does not shy away from comparison with the French figural lamps. A Hinks Duplex burner and a fine tulip shade emphasise the elegance of the lamp.