Lamps by Wild & Wessel

After their years of apprenticeship together in the French Moderator lamp industry, Emil Wild and Wilhelm Wessel founded their own lamp manufactory in Berlin in 1844. This manufactory was not only to become the inventor of very good, technically sophisticated burners (Kosmos, Vulkan, Central Vulkan, Agni, Kronos burners), but also to become a real trademark of the German lamp industry through the very highest quality of their lamps. Consequently, their lamps, especially the sophisticated, high-priced examples, are highly coveted and sought after by today's collectors. Wild & Wessel often marked their lamps with a model number (easily identifiable as Wild & Wessel's number with a dot at the end) or characterised them with the letters W&W. under the base. Therefore, the lamps of this company are quite easy to identify. Lamps with brass bases, however, do not bear a number.

Through a detailed analysis of the model numbers and the stated production periods in the 1894 Jubilee catalogue, I have determined the following dating for W&W lamps (without guarantee, of course). However, there are a few model numbers that do not fit into this classification at all.

Table: Dating of W&W kerosene/paraffin lamps by model numbers

There are 21 Wild & Wessel lamps in my collection. With two exceptions, all of them also bear a Wild & Wessel burner. In addition to the 8 lamps made of complete zinc castings and 5 others with spelter parts, I have 4 glass lamps, one porcelain lamp, one piano lamp and three pillar lamps. They all have a beautiful shape and are of high quality.

Wild & Wessel lamps made of cast zinc
From left: L.301 (W&W no. 1110) – L.156 (W&W no. 1205) – L.191 (W&W no. 1208) / L.135 (W&W no. 1405) – L.054 (W&W no. 1536) – L.210 (W&W no. 1697)

L.301 features a frieze with allegorical scenes patinated in green, following a popular trend of the time. I was able to acquire a French ball shade with a very similar allegorical scene to go with this lamp.

L.156 is a smaller zinc cast lamp with the putti depictions that were very popular at the time. It is one of the few lamps in my collection that still has its original bronzing very well preserved. With this lamp you can admire the colourful design of the zinc cast lamps of that time.

L.191 shows very sculptured and detailed birds embedded in a bed of flowers. The beautiful yellow tulip shade came from the USA.

L.135 is a large, magnificent lamp of Historicism with a 16’’’ Central Vulkan burner. The finely etched globe shade is from Great Britain. L.054 is similarly elaborate and ostentatious with a 16’’’ Kosmos burner and a melon shaped tulip shade. With these two lamps, one can very well observe the eclecticism that was prevalent at the time.

L.210 was probably intended for the British market, because in addition to the model number it also bears the British registration number 3704 (thus dated 1884). This lamp is also equipped with a 16’’’ Kosmos burner.

Further Wild & Wessel lamps made of cast zinc, partly nickel-plated
From left: L.152 (W&W no. 532) – L.151 (W&W no. 1111) – L.295 (W&W no. 1260) / L.352 (W&W no. 312) – L.173 (W&W no. 1824) – L.110 (W&W-Nr. 511)

L.152 with the figural sculpture made of cast zinc is my only figural lamp by W&W. It was exhibited in Paris in 1867. The base is made of black serpentine. The glass font is unfortunately not the original by W&W.

L.151 has a cup-shaped vase made of nickel-plated zinc sheet, an old Paris shade (illustrated in Schubert & Sorge catalogues around 1890) and a 16’’’ Central Vulkan burner. The two large medallions on the vase symbolise day and night.

L.295 is a magnificent zinc cast lamp with handles, with two women's medallions and a sheet zinc vase. Parts of the lamp were patinated with green paint.

L.352 has an interesting zinc cast stem of stylised elephant heads and a finely painted glass font. Judging by its number, it belongs to the very early kerosene/paraffin lamps from W&W.

Another zinc cast lamp from the end of Historicism is lamp L.173. It was exported to Great Britain because it came with a bayonet vase ring and a duplex burner from Hinks & Son. The design of the lamp is still far from the just emerging Art Nouveau.

The lamp L.110 with the charming bacchante frieze is also one of the early lamps by W&W. The three feet are in the shape of winged sphinxes.

Several other Wild & Wessel lamps demonstrate convincingly how skilfully Wild & Wessel were able to create very beautiful, elegant lamps using different materials such as glass, porcelain, cast zinc and brass mounts.

Wild & Wessel lamps made of glass and porcelain with metal mounts
From left: L.024 – L.269 – L.338 (W&W no. 388) / L.299 – L.166

The first three lamps in the photo belong to an early period from about 1865-1870. L.269 and L.338 are real highlights of my collection. At least lamp L.338 was presented together with other selected lamps at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1867. Its 14’’’ burner belongs to the first generation of Kosmos burners (1865-1870) and got a prize medal in the Paris exhibition. L.024 belongs to the same period, because it exists in another version (in the collection of a friend) with white glass parts analogous to the lamps L.269 and L.338.

L.299 made of mint green glass captivates by its elegance. I was able to repair the lamp that was partly destroyed by electrification. Here I installed a 16’’’ Agni burner from Wild & Wessel with the original chimney. Finally, L.166 consists of a finely painted porcelain vase by KPM and a British tulip shade that matches the colour very well.

Wild & Wessel pillar lamps and a piano lamp
From left: L.123 – L.146 (W&W no. 2301 & 2) – L.222 – L.049

The three pillar lamps on the left in the photo are among the most extraordinary lamps in my collection simply because of their shades. L.123 is a rather simple lamp with an alabaster column. The extremely flat glass shade on it is a typical Wild & Wessel invention. Normally, these shades were provided with a matching textile hanging (cotton border with perforated embroidery or lace), but this could no longer survive the decades. I applied the border with the perforated embroidery myself.

The large column lamp L.146 has a base and column as a combination of reddish marble and decorative cast zinc. It came to me without a shade, but was nevertheless prepared for a large silk shade (recognisable from the special shade holder that was mounted on it). So I designed and completely built such a silk shade myself.

L.222 is a pillar lamp with a very complicated construction of copper, brass and iron parts and also with the typical flat opal glass shade. I got the lamp with a glass bead hanging that was added later, but I left it on because it matches the colour well.

The last lamp on the right, L.049 is a rare piano lamp by W&W, probably made for Schubert & Sorge (shown in the 1897 catalogue). Unfortunately, I have not yet been able to find a 10’’’ W&W Kosmos burner for this lamp. If I am successful, I will replace the burner.