Topic: Unusual old Glass Item Hollow Stem????

[LEGSY]

Purchased a job lot from an auction house and have found a couple of things i no knowledge of maybe somebody knows what they are and from when if possible.
It has a hollow stem and measure's 13.5 cm tall quite a lot of wear to the outside of the foot.

[Anne Tique]

In french these are called 'lampe de dentellière' which translates as lace lamp, but I don't know if that is the usual name for these items in English.

[chopin-liszt]

It's the same, Anne.
I just wasn't sure it is one, given the ball part is hollow. Would a hollow ball still magnify the light from a candle?
There were normally 4, placed around a flame, were there not?

[Anne Tique]

Funny what we've come across and what we know … I've never heard if solid ones, just the ones like this one here, they are supposed to be filled up with water and stand in front of a candle. Because of the round shape the light is directed downwards, on the table and hands of the lace maker. I'm not familiar with a 4 balled one.

[chopin-liszt]

Filling it with water makes a lot of sense.
It's no wonder I hadn't thought of that! 
I'm sure I've seen an illustration of 4 around a candle on a table, though.

We take electric lighting 24/7 for granted these days, and forget how difficult (and expensive) light used to be. 

[Anne Tique]

I guess that at the time, a hollow one would have been much more affordable as well.


Reading up on these lamps, there are also the ones that contain a wick and are supposed to be filled up with oil. Often these ones are called lace lamps too but apparently they're not. In french they're called 'Lampes Provençales'. I'm not sure if this refers to the department of the Provence or if it could be translated as countryside, a simple lamp that was often used in a modest household out of the city.


On a blog i read that the four balled lamp used to be  placed in the middle of a round table and would allow 4 people to work at the same time.   

[chopin-liszt]

Oil lamps are well-known and still made, in lots of different styles and materials now.
The first one I heard of belonged to some chap called Aladdin, in a fairy story. 

I'd imagine Provençale refers to countryside rather than the region of France, given how widespread they are.

Hollow balls would be a lot cheaper to make, as you say, and probably not suffer from damage so much.
If they were very top-heavy, they'd fall over easily.
Lace makers did not earn much. 

[LEGSY]

 :)Really interesting reading i was wondering if this example of lamp would be classed as lamp work sorry to confuse the situation slightly, Only i did wonder to its authenticity as it is so lightly blown and i would have thought very easy to break not really ideal for manual working. Although saying that the base has a good ring of wear and the top by the aperture has what looks like residue of some sort maybe from filling or similar. Never seen one before so slightly flumoxed . Thanks for replying.

[oldglassman]

Hi ,
            Open flame oil lamp is the generally accepted description for these items , they would have had metal fittings and a wick for each aperture, the items that were filled with water are reflecting globes and were much larger, they may or may not have been used by lacemakers as often referred to but their primary function was simply to provide light in the home , those with handles of course could easily be moved from room to room as needed.attached are some 18th c examples and a reflecting globe.

Cheers

Peter

[chopin-liszt]

  Thanks for your excellent, experienced input Peter, and for showing that lovely array of pieces.

It's all bringing to mind a "new" way of lighting somewhere up, recently "invented" for places without electricity I read about. It's very simple and clever.
They put a (recycled) plastic bottle of water in a hole in the ceiling, with the rim/top poking outside.
Sunlight enters the bottle of water and gets refracted around in the body of water, ligthing the room up.