L.363

These Empire-style pillar lamps are offered on eBay France from time to time, but sometimes at very high prices. I managed to buy the body of this lamp (base and column only) at an astonishingly low price, probably because it was not complete and also already electrified. However, I had to provide all the missing parts and construct a corresponding font holder.

Very similar lamps are illustrated in the book "19th Century Elegant Ligthing" as Sinumbra or Solar lamps from the second quarter of the 19th century. This lamp was also very likely a noble Sinumbra oil lamp at one time. Genuine, unaltered Sinumbra lamps with very similar, even identical base/column combinations were also available for purchase on eBay France. However, this lamp was later electrified (cable holes at the bottom and top are present).

The lamp body was completely painted in a black-brownish colour, which had also become dull and unattractive over time. I therefore completely decoloured everything in caustic soda solution, cleaned, polished and repainted them. In doing so, I was inspired by the illustrations of historical Sinumbra lamps. Some elements I painted with brass paint and then patinated, other parts I painted with a black paint (Revell Matt 8) and polished. This created a lively, varied play of colours.

The matching crystal Baccarat font had a brass undermount without a thread. I had to construct a new font holder from a piece of threaded pipe with the matching nuts so that the font could be removed at any time. For this purpose, I plastered another, smaller undermount to the existing undermount of the font, which I made screwable from the rest of the holder with a soldered nut.

A 14’’’ Reform Kosmos burner by Schuster & Baer together with the matching chimney and an elegant tulip shade from St. Louis completed this stately lamp in style.

Lamp Data

Added by me:
Glass font, burner, glass chimney, tulip shade and globe holder.

Cleaning and repairs:
All metal parts cleaned in sodium hydroxide solution, partly painted black and partly with brass paint. Completely new font holder made.

Lamp body:
Lamp body constructed of 7 ornamental zinc castings and 5 brass parts in elaborate Empire style, most likely from a former Sinumbra lamp. Base triangular, side length 172 mm.
On the base a transition piece with 3 lion paws. Column base and capital with acanthus ornamentation. Font holder inserted in the column.
Baccarat font, colourless crystal glass, 2 rows of olive cuts, Ø 149 mm.

Burner:
14’’’ Reform Kosmos burner of Schuster & Baer, Berlin, for Carl Rakenius, Berlin.
Wick knob marked: Carl Rakenius & Co. Berlin. Wick knob back: Logo of Schuster & Baer.
Wick tube marked: Patent.
Flat wick 67 mm.

Glass chimney:
14’’’ Kalthoff chimney. Height 281 mm, Ø fitter 53 mm.
Marked: Qualité Extra Supérieure 14''' - Lucien Brienne Lampiste Bar-le-Duc - Importé de Saxe.

Shade and shade holder:
Tulip shade by St. Louis, colourless glass, frosted, deep-etched ornamentation, embossed, 6-fold bulbous and diagonally divided, top rim fluted.
Height 220 mm, Ø fitter 66 and bulge 146 mm.
70 mm globe holder for 14’’’/15’’’ burners.

Lamp dimensions:
Height up to collar 55.2 cm, total height with chimney 86.7 cm.
Total weight 3760 g.