Topic: huge enameled glass lamp, montjoye/legras? Moser? someone else???

[azelismia]

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/thefiresidecat/P1020033.jpg
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I got this in the mail today. first of all please excuse the clutter in the background...

this lamp is really large and wonderful in person. it is super quality. I've never seen a lamp quite like it. Does anyone have any ideas about whodunit? Also, the pics make the lamp look round, it's actually more oval in shape. the sides are less wide than the face of the lamp is across. It's also fairly dirty but I am afraid of cleaning it. 


Moderator: Large images converted to links

[Mike M]

Wow very impressive

its a 'copy' of a classic Moser image -and as it is different from their usual ones, I'd say definitely not Moser.

The enamelling looks quite Legras like (and they did copy Moser styles -and vice versa)

But it looks to be a purpose built lamp -which make me wonder if it's not a lamp maker immitating this style -in which case is could be German, French, Bohemian or even American.

Are there any clues to country of origin on the remaining electrical fitments?

cheers

Mike

[azelismia]

well it's been rewired the little knob appears to read 3a 125v it's got an F and I can't read the other side of it. I don't know if that helps with the country of origin or not. I don't know that much about voltages in different countries.

also the base is made of wood and the flowers on the base are carved in or painted on very thickly, not sure which or if both and there appears to be an initial on one of the ducks belly. it's an A with what appears to be a comma. I've got a pic of it but it's nearly 2 am here and I have to work tomorrow so I'll post it tomorrow.

Thanks!

[Frank]

Voltage tells you nothing as every electric company supplied a different voltage (so you had to buy your bulbs from them) standardisation came much later. Many electric companies served very small districts.

The base and fittings would have most likely been added separately and by a different company (even in a different country) that specialised in such things. Details of the fitting would help for dating but your main identification has to be through the glass ignoring the rest.

[krsilber]

Interesting piece.  That's one I would want to clean to see how it looked!  The base may have been added by a different company, but it sure looks like it was designed especially to match the piece.  I wonder how it was made.  Seems like carving it would be pretty labor-intensive.  I wonder if the technology of making that part is any clue - maybe the design was molded with latex or something?  Is the whole base wood, Azelismia? 

Is the rim metal?  That's another interesting feature.  Looks French to me, but lamps are WAY out of my area.

Frank, when did standardization of electrical current start?

[Frank]

In the UK standardisation to AC and commenced from 1926 but it took time, this chart shows the variety of voltages in London in 1910. (Please excuse the writing it is a completely unedited text - rather dreary 'notes' in places too.) The US must of started standardising around the same time. But a lot of small companies carried on supplying odd voltages for time after that date. There is a huge crossover period of 20 years so really the worse time to use such information for dating.

The carving of the wood would not be to expensive as cheap labour was still the norm until the 1950s. Such work was probably easily available until then. Biggest factor in dating fittings are the construction techniques and brass colouring and finishing. Other metals used help too. But bear in mind that it was not unheard of for an owner to have a vase converted privately and these could afford the best work. Other lighting companies bought in the glass or providing a service/parts to glass companies. Matching to the vase being fitted was obviously the way it was done.

See the bottom row here http://www.ysartglass.com/Moncat/PageLighting.htm the Monart FL23 was done by a London company for Liberty's. The one on the right FL25 I suspect to be American made and the conversion, it is a vase, done in the US. I have also had a vase converted to a lamp FL13 on the same page, where the wood base was painted to match the glass. The Moncrieff sourced fittings were of another quality altogether.

The fittings themselves are relatively easy to date as the development of technology was fairly consistent in thess things and ten years would be the biggest error in such a date.

In this case, the base could have been commissioned by the factory and in that case appear in a catalogue with it. Finding the vase without the base in a catalogue would not help as far as the base is concerned. Who knows, when I get to them I may even have such things in a lighting company catalogue. I have quite a few.... 

[azelismia]

I got brave and took the lamp apart.. glad I didn't try to actually use this lamp.. the innards looked pretty scary. I'll take it in at some point and have it professionally put together. here are the photos though. none of them are good because it's night time. I'll try to get some better ones later. the base looks almost like it has a double or triple pontil.. the glass part alone is 14 inches tall 7" across and 4 inches wide.

[azelismia]

oh, and here's a pic of the vase part without the works. I thnk it looks better this way.

[dinklepip]

corrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr it's gorgeous

[azelismia]

here are some better pics in  daylight