L.304

This lamp from the British branch of Lempereur & Bernard is a very fine example of the British Arts & Crafts style. The font is elegantly restrained, designed in simple brass without ornamentation. It sits in a beautifully designed lamp base of very ornately joined brass bars. The photos describe the beauty of the lamp far better than any words.

This "Lampe Belge" is of English origin, and has little to do with the Belgian "Lampe Belge" lamps by Lempereur & Bernard except for the name. The burner is made under licence by L&B in Great Britain. The rest of the lamp is in clear British Arts & Crafts design. See the two articles by Alex Marrack ("The L&B Lampe Belge" and "English Lampe Belge"; both on the website of Miles Stair, USA). Presumably based on the great success of L&B in the UK and also in the USA, L&B established a production subsidiary in England (Midland Lighting Co. in Birmingham) to produce the Lampe Belge for the British market. The Belgian burner was patented in the UK in 1884. This lamp was therefore probably made around 1885-1900.

The lamp's center-draft burner is in the much rarer 14-line size and has a correspondingly small flame disc, but otherwise very similar in construction to the Belgian original.

As the original globe holder supplied required 100 mm shades, I had to look for a 100 mm tulip. Fortunately, I managed to get a typical British tulip shade with diagonal whitish stripes from eBay France (they are at least twice as expensive in the UK)! This tulip shade should be from the same period as the lamp. It completes this beautiful lamp perfectly!

Lamp Data

Added by me:
Tulip shade.

Cleaning and repairs:
Not necessary.

Lamp body:
Base and font support made of very ornamentally shaped and decorated brass rods, which hold the support ring for the font at the top, very much in the style of Arts & Crafts. The four supports are grouped around an ornamental central column. On 4 feet, 15.5 x 15.5 cm.
Drop-in font of brass sheet without ornamentation, stepped, Ø 144 mm. Marked: Lampe Belge Patent No. 11285 1884 English Manufacture. Extra oil filler, cap marked: Lampe Belge Patent 11285 1884.

Burner:
14’’’ center-draft burner of Midland Lighting Co., Birmingham (patent Lempereur & Bernard, Liège).
Wick knob marked: Trade Mark In Lux Way. Black glass inlay.
Original, two-staged flame disc Lampe Belge.
Round wick Ø 26 mm.

Glass chimney:
14’’’ Matador chimney. Height 232 mm, Ø fitter 48 mm.
Marked: Fidelitas Brand - 14''' Peoples Lamp - Best Crystal Fireproof - Made in Austria + dog’s head in a circle.

Shade and shade holder:
British tulip shade, slightly greenish-bluish glass, transparent, diagonally running milky-white stripes, upper rim fluted.
Height 138 mm, Ø fitter 101 and top rim 215 mm.
100 mm globe holder for 14’’’ Lampe Belge burners; original part of the burner.

Lamp dimensions:
Height up to collar 24.1 cm, total height with chimney 50.6 cm.
Total weight 1910 g.