French Sculptural Lamps
A high-priced top segment of French lamps are the figural sculpture lamps, which sometimes bear a title and also the signature of the sculptor who designed these figures. The highest quality examples are patinated in two slightly different shades of bronze. Personally, I find that some of these lamps are almost a declaration of love for the well-built female body. The artists of these designs are also widely known for their other objects, above all their real bronze sculptures, which are admittedly traded at a much higher price level.
While zinc casting plays only a minor role in most French lamps, it is very well represented here in the sculptural lamps. With zinc alloys, it was possible to produce very finely detailed castings at quite low casting temperatures. Moreover, this alloy was inexpensive compared to brass or bronze. Therefore, cast zinc was the ideal material for sculpture lamps. Patina paints could be used to make the cast zinc sculptures look like brown patinated bronze statues. Cast zinc sculptures advanced to become the "poor man's bronze" in France at the end of the 19th century.
19 French sculptural lamps in my collection are shown in the following 3 collective photos. In addition, I present these lamps in a separate chapter (chapter Sculptural Lamps) together with other lamps from other nations.
In the first two collective photos, the figurative sculpture lamps (with and without artist's signature) are compiled. The human figure, especially the female figure, is the main focus of the French sculptural lamp.
French figural lamps of cast zinc and with sculptor’s signature
From left: L.018 (Henri Honoré Plé) – L.046 (François Hippolyte Moreau) – L.081 (Ernest Rancoulet) / L.290 (Paul Philippe) – L.176 (Eugène Capy) – L.083 (Claude Bonnefond)
The very large figure lamp L.018 represents the "Awakening" as a sculpture by Henri Honoré Plé. The lamp is titled "L'Eveil". The lovely female figure is patinated in two shades. The patina is very well preserved. The yellow patterned tulip shade is from Great Britain.
The completely by me bronzed lamp L.046 by François Hippolyte Moreau is dedicated to Diana, the goddess of hunting and the moon. The goddess stands in a crescent moon and holds an arrow bow in her hand. I had to build and insert the bow myself, as it was missing from the lamp. The female figure as goddess is of course depicted very feminine and quite proud.
The lamp L.081 is by Ernest Rancoulet and depicts - judging by the attached title - an encounter at the fountain. Presumably this lamp belongs to a pair of lamps. The other lamp probably depicted a young woman at the fountain, to whom the young man's greeting was directed. Unfortunately, the figure has been amateurishly painted afterwards. A Vianne tulip and a Baccarat font embellish the lamp.
L.290 with a beautifully Art Nouveau shaped female figure by Paul Philippe is interesting in that the female figure holds a half-open bowl with two hands in which the glass font is placed. Normally, the font is only held with one hand. This figure is also patinated in two colours.
L.176 is probably from the beginning of the Art Nouveau period and depicts a young, almost prancing woman who is patinated in a monotone brown. The figure is by Eugène Capy. The remaining parts of the lamp including the turned wooden base were added by me. The title "La lumière" is also my invention.
The last lamp in the photo, L.083, is a pure Art Nouveau lamp by Claude Bonnefond. Here the lovely young woman is admiring an iris flower in her hand. The Baccarat font is held by a plant stem winding up behind her body. The original patination is still well acceptable.
Further figural lamps of cast zinc, but without artist’s signature
From left: L.101 – L.102 – L.120 / L.195 – L.216 – L.077
In the lamp L.101, a woman in Art Nouveau design sits on a pompous, baroque-looking pedestal. With her left hand she holds a quill; the right hand supports the metal undermount for the glass font. The design needs some explanation. All the remaining parts are completed by me.
L.102 represents the moon goddess again. Here she is sitting inside the crescent moon. The base construction was probably added later. Also for this lamp I had to contribute all the other parts myself.
The rather large lamp L.120 is a beautiful example of the sensual and refined French taste in the late 19th century. Here, a half-naked lady sits on a marble ball. The base alone is already very ostentatious. The finely etched tulip shade is from St. Louis.
The lamp L.195 is more likely to be assigned to Historicism, as the entire pedestal is very elaborately constructed from several cast zinc and stone parts. The finely cast female figure was probably originally adorned with a surrounding vine tendril. I bronzed the zinc castings in two colours.
The somewhat smaller figural lamp L.216 is also completely bronzed by me in two colours. The lamp is from the Art Nouveau period and a beautiful example of playful French lamp design, which I like very much.
The last lamp in the photo, L.077, is simpler in construction than it looks. Here, the complete sculpture including the base was made in one casting and also completely patinated in shades of green and brown. The current colour scheme of the base is mine. I had to remodel the hand of the figure, with which it holds the glass font.
In the last photo there are some more lamps, partly made of other materials.
Sculptural lamps made of different materials
From left: L.306 (Charles Théodore Perron) – L.200 (Emil Fuchs) – L.174 / L.239 – L.027 – L.254 – L.340
The small lamp L.306 is my only lamp made of pewter. It is designed by Charles Théodore Perron. Here a naked woman (probably a water mermaid) sits on a mighty fish head and embraces a large sea snail. The lamp also bears the stamp of the foundry at the bottom. The tulip shade is from Cristallerie de Clichy.
The extraordinary sculpture lamp L.200 is the work of the Austrian Emil Fuchs and is illustrated in a catalogue of S.I. Paris. The sculpture here consists of a tulip plant whose bulb, stem, leaves and flowers serve as the body of the lamp. All parts of the sculpture are hand-painted. The tulip shade, which is also painted, is a work by Cristallerie de Pantin.
The lamp L.174 is unique in the collection because of its material: it is formed from ebonite! Ebonite is a very high-quality, black synthetic resin by the American inventor Charles Goodyear, patented in 1851.
L.239 is a slender lamp with a sleeping boy in the base area. The elongated, colourless-satin tulip shade came from Great Britain.
The lamp L.027 belongs to the so-called "heron lamps" from France, which were probably very popular in the Art Nouveau period. In this lamp, a fully sculptured heron is surrounded by plant ornamentation. The flowers and leaves are painted in Champlevé technique. The interesting glass font is most likely from Cristallerie de Clichy.
The last two lamps in the photo were both formerly candlesticks that have been converted into lamps with attached glass fonts. L.254 consists of a stylised dragon made of cast iron. The font is hand-painted by Cristallerie de Pantin. L.340 represents a hippocamp, a mythological creature of half-horse and half-fish. I suspect that the sculpture of the hippocamp is made of cast bronze.