L.112

A somewhat unusual brass lamp from France, whose column consists of two cast rods. These rods grow upwards from the base and diverge conically, creating an empty space between them. This rare column shape is also found in some other French lamps.

I bought the lamp precisely because of this unusual column, although it looked very shabby in the eBay photos. Despite the tarnish protection, the metal was extremely tarnished and in a pitiful condition. The more I removed the tarnish protection and cleaned the metal, the more a valuable lamp came to light. The lamp turned out to be a fine, elaborate, heavy brass casting, probably from the last third of the 19th century. Both the base/column and the font are very finely worked.

The cast ornamentation of the base/column combination is in the Empire style. The garlands screwed onto the upper end of the column are also typical Empire decorations. The font is made of sheet brass, but is embossed with Empire ornaments to exactly match the rest of the lamp.

The finely etched St. Louis tulip shade fits well with the style of the lamp, although it is probably much younger than the lamp. I used a high-quality 14’’’ Kosmos burner from Hugo Schneider as the burner.

Lamp Data

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

Cleaning and repairs:
Tarnish protection removed and the lamp extensively cleaned and polished.

Lamp body:
Base and column of fine, elaborate cast brass with ornaments in Empire style. Column divided into two parts, with two screwed-on garlands. Round base, Ø 155 mm. Handwritten inscription at the bottom of the base: 9909 331 ou.
Font of pressed brass sheet with fine ornamentation, Ø 150 mm.

Burner:
14’’’ Kosmos burner of Hugo Schneider, Leipzig.
Wick knob marked: Kosmos Brenner.
Wick tube marked: Cross in a circle.
Flat wick 69 mm.

Glass chimney:
14’’’ Kosmos chimney. Height 257 mm, Ø fitter 53 mm.
Marked: Cristal de Bohême 14''' - Importe de Tchecoslovaquie + star in an oval frame.

Shade and shade holder:
Tulip shade by St. Louis (signed), colourless glass, frosted, cameo-etched flowers, fluted top rim.
Height 140 mm, Ø fitter 85 and top rim 197 mm.
85 mm globe holder for 14’’’/15’’’ burners.

Lamp dimensions:
Height up to collar 35.0 cm, total height with chimney 64.5 cm.
Total weight 2810 g.