L.018

A large French figural lamp with a signed female figure in Art Nouveau, produced around 1900-1910. The construction with a cast zinc sculpture on a wooden base and a glass font held by the figure is very typical for these figure lamps from France.

The sculptures of these French figural lamps are always made of cast zinc, which is called "régule" in France. I don't know whether the composition of the alloy differs from that of the other cast zinc lamps. At the large, high-quality lamps like this lamp, the casting is very fine and flawless; cast seams and other surface defects cannot be seen at all. The sculptures have almost always been patinated with a brown shade to imitate a brown tarnished bronze. The sculptures of the lamps for upscale buyers even have a two-tone patina. This can also be seen very well with this lamp: the young woman's dress is greenish, while the skin is brown.

Another special feature of the French figure lamps is the profiled, turned wooden base, which is sometimes painted like a red marble. A small brass plate with the fantasy name of the figure and the name of the artist is often attached to this wooden base. The figure of this lamp is called L’Eveil (= Awakening).

The figure of this very tall lamp is signed with HPle. This is the signature of a well-known French sculptor, Henri Honoré Plé (1853-1922). The figure and with it the lamp should have been made around 1900-1910, because they are clearly made in the French Art Nouveau style.

I chose the finely etched British tulip as a good addition to the kerosene/paraffin tank because the colours match quite well.

Lamp Data

Added by me:
Burner, chimney, tulip shade, globe holder, drip catcher under the font.

Cleaning and repairs:
Only cleaned carefully without damaging the original finish. No repairs necessary.

Lamp body:
Profiled wooden base made of turned and lacquered wood, Ø 181 mm. A small brass badge on the base bears the title: L'Eveil (= The Awakening). The red lacquer imitates marble.
Beautifully modelled, fine cast sculpture made of zinc, patinated in two colours, signed: HPle (= Henri Honoré Plé, French sculptor, 1853-1922), mounted on wooden base with a brass ring. The sculptured young woman holds the glass font in her left hand.
Strongly frosted non-transparent glass font, painted with yellow flowers, Ø 151 mm. Under the brass undermount an ornate drip catcher made of embossed sheet brass. Font can be unscrewed.

Burner:
14’’’ Kosmos burner of Schwintzer & Graeff, Berlin, produced for a dealer.
Wick knob marked: Fr. Knaab Crefeld. Wick knob back marked: Initials S&G.
Flat wick 65 mm.

Glass chimney:
14’’’ Kosmos chimney. Height 250 mm, Ø fitter 51 mm.
Marked: Cristalline - Unis France 14’’’ + crown and eagle.

Shade and shade holder:
British tulip shade, clear glass, dark yellow coloured top part, fading towards the bottom, shining red under UV light, plain-etched motifs, light optical ribbing, fluted and frilled top rim.
Height 166 mm, Ø fitter 77 and top rim 147 mm.
85 mm shade holder for 14’’’/15’’’ burners.

Lamp dimensions:
Height up to collar 74.3 cm, total height with chimney 103.5 cm.
Total weight 4820 g.