L.198

A small lamp by R. Ditmar with the faceted cut glass font and a beautifully painted Vesta shade. A souvenir from Salzburg. I did not change anything on the lamp; I only bronzed the base (Or classique).

The lamp is illustrated in the Ditmar catalogue from 1897 (lamp 6975). I assume it is from around 1880. The base is made of cast zinc alloy, finely ornamented in the Wilhelminian style. The same base was also used for the Ditmar lamp L.202. The transition from the column part to the font is designed with a smooth brass ring, which is somewhat unusual for cast zinc lamps, but which also occurs occasionally on other Ditmar lamps. There were no traces of bronzing on the base; it was merely tarnished dull grey and has been therefore bronzed.

The font is the typical glass font from Ditmar with the faceted cut wall. It is firmly plastered into the column. The burner is an 8-line flat burner, surprisingly not by Ditmar, but by Lámpa-Gyár from Hungary, because on the wick knob you can read: "Ung. Flachbrenner" (= Hungarian flat burner).

The chimney of the lamp is a bit of a mystery: It is not a usual Vienna chimney, but a special chimney with a large spherical bulge. I have left it by the lamp.

The real jewel of the lamp is undoubtedly the very beautifully hand-painted Vesta shade, which has a playful skirt neck typical of the period. Presumably, the shade is from a later Art Nouveau period.

Lamp Data

Added by me:
Nothing. All parts are original parts of the lamp.

Cleaning and repairs:
Zinc base bronzed with gold wax (Or classique).

Lamp body:
Base and short column of cast zinc, ornamentally decorated, Ø 145 mm. Marked under the foot: Logo of Ditmar, Vienna, and "Muster geschützt, R. Ditmar".
Font of colourless transparent glass, faceted cut, Ø 118 mm. The font is inserted a little crooked, not removable.

Burner:
8’’’ Vienna flat burner of Lámpa-Gyár, Budapest.
Wick knob marked: Ung. Flachbrenner.
Flat wick 17 mm.

Glass chimney:
Special chimney with large spherical bulge. Height 202 mm, Ø fitter 43 mm.
Marked: Patent.

Shade and shade holder:
Vesta shade, white milk glass, painted flowers, upper rim fluted and frilled in skirt shape.
Height 142 mm, Ø fitter 152 and bulge 173 mm.
155 mm shade holder for 8’’’ flat burners.

Lamp dimensions:
Height up to collar 17.1 cm, total height with chimney 39.5 cm.
Total weight 1120 g.