L.065

This lamp is one of the few lamps in my collection that was completely put together by me! When my wife and I were strolling at a nearby auction house one Saturday, she spotted a porcelain vase with a hole in the bottom, handwritten "Capo di monte" at the bottom. This former royal porcelain manufactory near Naples has not existed since 1819. Captivated by the beauty of the very fine painting, we bought the object, which was titled "Lamp base, probably Volkstedt in the style of Capodimonte". I decided to construct a beautiful kerosene/paraffin lamp from it.

The porcelain vase is very finely painted and has no signs of use. It was probably made and painted around 1890, but never assembled into a finished lamp. The Thuringian manufactory Volkstedt was famous for finely painted porcelain, whose relief surface and painting is very reminiscent of the Italian Capodimonte. This vase with the surrounding boy's frieze also exists in another, much simpler version made of white bisque porcelain as an electric lamp.

I used an ornate cast zinc ring as a matching metal base, which happened to fit the bottom of the porcelain vase almost exactly. I only had to provide a better connection with a 2 mm brass tube that I soldered to the inner edge of the cast ring.

Later, I discovered a high-quality brass font on eBay France that fit perfectly in terms of dimensions! I only had to fix the font in the vase with 4 rods soldered to the sides, so that it now fits without play. I connected the font to the base with a threaded rod.

The lamp needed a Vesta shade for a harmonious design rather than a tulip or ball shade. Therefore, I bought a hand-painted Vesta shade from porcelain painter Mrs Henze in Berlin. The lamp was finally completed with a high-quality 15''' Augusta burner, a new shade holder and a marked chimney. From several fragments, a unique, imposing, delightful lamp has emerged.

Lamp Data

Added by me:
Base ring, brass font, burner, glass chimney, Vesta shade and shade holder.

Cleaning and repairs:
See above.

Lamp body:
Base made of a ring of cast zinc, Ø 163 mm. Adapted to the vase with a 2 mm Ø brass tube.
Vase of finely polychrome painted porcelain, with sculptured putti, with handwritten signature "Capo di monte", Ø 143 mm.
Font of sheet brass, with ornamental lid of embossed brass, hidden in the vase. Lid Ø 114 mm.

Burner:
15’’’ Augusta burner of Otto Müller, Berlin.
Wick knob marked: OM Augusta Brenner. Black glass inlay.
Original flame disc, marked: 15''' Augusta-Brenner.
Flat wick 69 mm.

Glass chimney:
15’’’ Matador chimney. Height 258 mm, Ø fitter 53 mm.
Marked: Schutz-Marke - Logo E&G - 15''' Matador - 16''' Salvator - Prima Boheems Glas.

Shade and shade holder:
New Vesta shade, white milk glass colourless overlay, painted floral garlands, fluted top rim. Signed inside: handbemalt I. Henze (= hand painted, Ingrid Henze, Berlin).
Height 161 mm, Ø fitter 233 and bulge 268 mm.
235 mm shade holder for 14’’’/15’’’ burners.

Lamp dimensions:
Height up to collar 25.5 cm, total height with chimney 54.6 cm.
Total weight 3200 g.