Topic: can anyone identify the maker of this lamp base

[dickerpot]

may originally been a vase - only mark is an embossed GERMANY to base rim
it stands 26cm high

[Anne]

Hello and welcome to the board. I've removed your duplicate post from the Germany forum, as it only needs to be posted in one place. If it needs to be moved then a Moderator would do so.

[Mosquito]

I suspect that this is the same one that was on ebay a while back. I was watching it too, mainly because I was very intrigued by the 'Germany' mark.

The design of the glass itself is seemingly an exact match for Sabino's 7023 Vase "Rosaces" (see Decelle (1987) Sabino Maitre Verrier de l'Art Deco 1878-1961).

I think there are several possibilities here - perhaps the design was copied, or maybe Sabino added the mark at the request of a retailer or to help sales in Germany (Both Walther & Inwald patterns have been recorded with mysterious 'Belge/ Belgique' marks so this practie of adding misleading country of origin marks is maybe not without precedent). The other possibility is that a mould was sold off or maybe appropriated during the war - without any further evidence it's impossible to say.

Anyway, it's a fantastic mystery piece. Would it be possible for you to add a photo of the mark please?

Steven

Edited to add: Is the mark on the body of the vase/ lamp body itself (pink, mould-blown part), or on the attached base? If the Germany mark is only on the black base, then I think it's likely that this is a Sabino piece but was just converted to a lamp in Germany or using German parts at some point.

[dickerpot]

I suspect that this is the same one that was on ebay a while back. I was watching it too, mainly because I was very intrigued by the 'Germany' mark.

The design of the glass itself is seemingly an exact match for Sabino's 7023 Vase "Rosaces" (see Decelle (1987) Sabino Maitre Verrier de l'Art Deco 1878-1961).

I think there are several possibilities here - perhaps the design was copied, or maybe Sabino added the mark at the request of a retailer or to help sales in Germany (Both Walther & Inwald patterns have been recorded with mysterious 'Belge/ Belgique' marks so this practie of adding misleading country of origin marks is maybe not without precedent). The other possibility is that a mould was sold off or maybe appropriated during the war - without any further evidence it's impossible to say.

Anyway, it's a fantastic mystery piece. Would it be possible for you to add a photo of the mark please?

Steven

Edited to add: Is the mark on the body of the vase/ lamp body itself (pink, mould-blown part), or on the attached base? If the Germany mark is only on the black base, then I think it's likely that this is a Sabino piece but was just converted to a lamp in Germany or using German parts at some point.

thanks for the info  - have attached phot to show GERMANY is in the body of the vase. Do you think this was a converted vase or made originally to be a lamp?

[Mosquito]

Hi,

Thanks for the picture - very interesting to see that the glass itself is marked.

Do you think this was a converted vase or made originally to be a lamp?

I suspect that this was designed as a dual-purpose item. The Sabino version is catalogued as a vase, but many of these mould-blown vases were also available with light fittings. I don't recall off the top of my head if 'Rosaces' was offered as a lamp, but I do have scans of old Sabino ads showing other similar vases such as 'Coquilles' mounted as lampbases. As well as the 'official' lamps, it was also not uncommon for other companies or individuals to convert existing vases into lamps. Some photos of the fittings might help here. The bulb-holder on your lamp is obviously a later replacement, but the metal disc and black foot could be contemporary with the glass.

Steven

[dickerpot]

i will have the vase rewired professionally with a brass lampholder and suitable flex and put it on Ebay - Whilst i love it regretably my wife does not .

[Mosquito]

If it were me, I wouldn't go to the trouble and expense of rewiring it before sale. I'm not 100% sure, but I think to sell it as a working lamp you'd need it to be PAT tested. You'll also need to be careful about earthing the metalwork - I added one of these earth points to my Jobling B3 lamp for safety http://www.30-something.co.uk/earth-ring-1mm-item-544 - it fits under the metal cap so the lamp still looks 100% original from the outside.

Personally I think the value lies in the glass, not in it's function as a lamp. If the buyer wants to use it as a lamp then can choose the fitting of their choice (I'd choose brown bakelite over brass any day - this is what my original lamps from this era all have). For a full restoration you'd need the metal re-plated and to find a suitable shade too.