Lamps Mainly Made of Majolica and Porcelain
After zinc cast lamps, lamps made of majolica were the largest and most important group. Especially in the Art Nouveau era, there was an enormous number of hand-painted majolica lamps, both as table and hanging lamps. Majolica as earthenware quickly advanced to become a showpiece of the German ceramics industry, as it could be fired at lower temperatures and was consequently cheaper than porcelain.
In addition to majolica, porcelain production was also traditionally important. First and foremost, the first European porcelain manufactory, Meissen, brought a large number of porcelain lamps onto the market, very often with the extremely popular onion pattern. Today, such lamps are sought-after, high-priced antiques. But other porcelain manufacturers such as KPM in Berlin, Schierholz and Sitzendorf in Thuringia, Carl Thieme in Saxony have also taken German porcelain lamps out into the world.
Some lamps with majolica bodies or zinc cast bases
From left: L.016 and L.201 (both by Kretzschmar & Bösenberg in Dresden) – L.199 / L.017 – L.221 – L.211
The beautiful majolica lamp L.016 bears the signature of Kretzschmar & Bösenberg in Dresden under the base. The burner is also original from this producer. The lamp L.201 is probably also from this producer, as it has the same burner and was offered from Dresden. The vase of this lamp, however, is made of painted glass. Both lamps have beautiful Vesta shades, well matched in colour and style.
The large, heavy lamp L.199 flaunts a mighty stoneware vase painted with two different landscapes in pure Art Nouveau style. The lamp was probably assembled from different parts, because both the font and the vase connector to the base are glued to the vase. The tulip shade made of green glass is of recent manufacture (either from Great Britain or Australia).
The lamp L.017 has a majolica vase whose painting with stylistic flowers is found on many lamps of German (and also Austrian) manufacturers. This painting was probably very much in vogue during a period of time (probably approx. 1900-1910). The assignment to Germany was possible with the help of the built-in burner. I was also able to use a well-fitting painted Vesta shade.
The interesting lamp L.221 with two dragons as handles has a hand painted ceramic vase by Franz Anton Mehlem in Bonn. I discovered this lamp in an antique market without the accompanying kerosene/paraffin tank. All missing parts (font, burner, chimney, etc.) were added by me. The burner is an 18 lines Sonnenbrenner by R. Ditmar and the glass tulip is by Vianne.
The pleasing majolica lamp L.211 with stylised painted tulips was an eBay offer from Marburg, where I studied chemistry. So I absolutely had to buy this lamp. The painted Vesta shade suits the style of the lamp very well.
Some majolica and porcelain lamps of the collection
From left: L.037 (K&T) – L.229 (Kindermann) – L.159 / L.217 (Sitzendorf) – L.065 – L.330 (Kalk)
L.037 by the German manufacturer Kästner & Töbelmann with its striking Art Nouveau design appears both in K&T catalogues and in the catalogues of Lámpa-Gyár from Budapest. The painted Vesta shade is from the same period.
The L.229 is a rather large, colourfully painted lamp by C.F. Kindermann (ceramic vase signed at the bottom) with an equally colourfully painted Paris shade. Here I installed a 20 lines Columbus burner by Kindermann incl. Columbus chimney.
Another majolica lamp is L.159 with its beautiful painting of flowers and butterflies. The turquoise Vesta shade is probably of recent manufacture. My wife likes it very much and so it remains on the lamp.
In the right half of the photo above, I have put together three lamps that are all my own designs. They are therefore unique pieces that I built myself. The small lamps, L.217 and L.330, are porcelain candlesticks converted to kerosene/paraffin lamps. L.217 is based on a collectible candlestick from the Sitzendorf porcelain manufactory in Thuringia, while L.330 uses a candlestick made of bisque porcelain from the Kalk porcelain manufactory, also located in Thuringia.
The larger porcelain lamp L.065 is entirely my design. The orphaned porcelain lamp vase was discovered by my wife and me in a nearby auction house. The vase with the beautiful frieze of hand-painted, sculptured boys was probably made in a Thuringian manufactory (Volkstedt, for example) in the Italian Capodimonte style. I had to construct all the other parts of the lamp myself from matching individual pieces. The new Vesta shade with the flower garlands is painted and signed by the Berlin porcelain painter Ingrid Henze.
More porcelain lamps in the collection
From left: L.172 (Carl Thieme) – L.323 (Meissen) – L.344 (Carl Thieme) / L.253 (Schierholz Plaue) – L.274 (probably Stobwasser) – L.255 (Schierholz Plaue)
Germany was also the country of porcelain production. It can therefore be assumed that there were a large number of porcelain lamps made in Germany, especially in the high-priced segment. A large number of these were probably lost in the hail of bombs during the Second World War.
Since the invention of European hard porcelain in Saxony, the Meissen manufactory has existed uninterruptedly until today. The hand-painted porcelains of Meissen are world-famous. Yet when a porcelain lamp from Meissen is offered, the price is dizzyingly high. The vast majority of Meissen porcelain lamps bear the obligatory onion pattern in underglaze blue. Other lamps painted with multi-coloured flowers are extremely rare. I have succeeded in acquiring a Meissen lamp. L.323 carries a 20 lines Gold burner by Schwintzer & Gräff and a ball shade by St. Louis.
Two other porcelain lamps have porcelain marks of Carl Thieme in Potschappel near Dresden. L.172 is an unusual hand lamp with a square porcelain vase painted on four sides in a brass frame. The accompanying finely painted glass shade also has an unusual shape. L.344 is a delicate column lamp of painted porcelain, which was probably exported to the USA (I got the lamp from the USA, with a rather large American burner and chimney). After returning it to a purely German lamp, I managed to acquire a beautiful hand-coloured lithophane shade from Schierholz to go with it.
L.253 and L.255 are two porcelain lamps by the Thuringian manufactory Schierholz, whose distinctive design (2 or 3 small putti carrying a larger basket, which is also the kerosene/paraffin tank) ensured export success. Both lamps were probably intended for Great Britain, as the accompanying Kosmos burners by Wild & Wessel bear the inscription "Made in Germany".
The next lamp, L.274 made of painted porcelain, could have been made by Stobwasser, as it came complete with 14’’’ Victoria burner by Stobwasser and the correct shoulder chimney, also marked with Stobwasser logo. The lamp is fitted with a finely etched ball shade.