L.150
An interesting zinc cast lamp, very rare in this form, reminiscent of triangular Ditmar lamps with its slate base. Unfortunately, there is no manufacturer's mark or number on this lamp either. Only recently, a second example of this lamp was offered on eBay Great Britain, bearing the typical ornate vase ring by R. Ditmar. Since then I am sure that this lamp - as already suspected - comes from R. Ditmar. The lamp is illustrated in the 1875 catalogue of the London lamp supplier Zimmermann. There it is described as: "brown, green antique or red bronze with Ormolu mounts; also nickel, silver plated."
The lamp body alone consists of 14 individual parts (not counting screws etc.). Mounted on the triangular slate base are three paw feet supporting a two-tiered platform. The very slender, conical vase is placed on top of this. The lower part of the vase consists of an ornamental zinc casting; the upper part, on the other hand, is made of sheet zinc, on which three large, elaborately decorated ornamental pieces with faces (probably Hermes, messenger of the gods) are mounted.
The lamp was probably not originally bronzed, but painted with black paint, which has become unsightly and sticky. I could not find any remains of a former bronzing. I boiled all the parts except the slate plate and the font in soda water to clean the sticky, resinous layer of paint. In the process, the black paint came off almost completely! Only the protected areas of the zinc plate under the 3 attached ornaments have kept their clean black colour. I suspect that the freely accessible areas had become porous and brittle over time due to exposure to air and light.
I completed the broken off side part of a paw foot by gluing a 2 mm thick piece of brass that was cut to size and bent into shape with Pattex® Stabilit and filling it with 2-component filler. See also Repairs - Working on Metal Parts - Modelling of Missing Small Parts. I also filled in the broken edge of the slate base with the same filler. I then stained the stone base with soot-blackened wax and polished it. I painted the smooth zinc parts with Faubourg Patina, primed the ornamental parts with shoe polish and bronzed them with gold wax (Or classique).
The lamp was then completed with a 20’’’ Adler burner by K&T, a matching bottle-shaped chimney and a melon-shaped tulip shade with rare depictions of children. The result is another very impressive lamp that can almost be called a museum piece.
Lamp Data
Added by me:
Burner with flame disc, glass chimney, tulip shade and globe holder.
Cleaning and repairs:
Missing parts on the stone base and on one paw foot replaced. Lamp primed with Faubourg patina and bronzed with gold wax (Or Classique).
Lamp body:
Base of triangular cut slate with concave sides, side length 19 cm. On top 3 paw feet and connectors to the vase of ornamental zinc casting. One paw foot with missing part.
Vase of cast zinc and sheet zinc, with 3 elaborate applied ornaments with faces. Vase Ø ca. 14 cm. In the vase an additional container made of sheet brass.
Drop-in font of adapted mouth-blown glass, cemented under the zinc cast lid. Lid Ø 152 mm.
Burner:
20’’’ Adler burner of Kästner & Töbelmann, Erfurt.
Wick knob marked: K.&T. Adlerbrenner.
Original flame disc with large disc on tube, marked: 20''' Adler - K.&T.
Flat wick 92 mm.
Glass chimney:
20’’’ bottle-shaped chimney. Height 290 mm, Ø fitter 64 mm.
Marked: Reichs-Cylinder 20''' in a circle.
Shade and shade holder:
Tulip shade with spherical melon shape, colourless glass, frosted, flat transparent motifs with children, upper rim scalloped.
Height 188 mm, Ø fitter 85 and bulge 172 mm.
85 mm globe holder for 20’’’ burners.
Lamp dimensions:
Height up to collar 42.7 cm, total height with chimney 76.9 cm.
Total weight 5520 g.
