Antique Lamp Identification and Appraisal

What is an antique lamp? I personally like the generalized definition which states that it is lamp which is from a bygone era. This places the term outside the legal arena and into a subjective personal usage which is where we commonly incur the term. "Era" is general perceived and is defined as a long indefinite time period which also works out perfectly for this generalized definition. I do not perceive any problems with this working definition especially since any identification of an "antique Lamp" is fairly useless anyway without some time period designation normally in the form of "circa year". i.e. "circa 1905" which literally means " about the year 1905. So I will use the term antique lamp on this basis and often substitute it with the term "vintage".

Determining the age of an antique lamp involves numerous factors. Many times the lamp itself will promptly place its origin in a certain time frame due to well known styles from specific time periods. Sometimes a component of the lamp is marked with a date, letters, numbers, graphics or other markings which places its origin in a certain time frame or within the context of certain manufacturers known during a specific time period. Old catalog photographs, old newspaper and magazine advertisements, museum photographs and various antique lighting books and publications are reliable resources from which to compare antique lamp styles in order to confirm the origin date and manufacturer. However some of these publications have a limited availability and are often quite expensive. There are numerous auctions that have listings for antique lamps but often their descriptions are either very limited or unknown and sometimes embellished. It is not unusual to find many of these auction listings completely erroneous and misleading especially in regards to attributing unmarked antique lamps to certain highly collectible manufacturers. These venues in general are not reliable sources for authenticating or identifying antique lamps. There are some exceptions to this caveat, namely certain reliable and professional auctioneers who have a long and reliable history of accurately listing antique lamps.

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Generally, there are very limited reliable sources for identifying antique vintage lamps. Among the most reliable sources are experienced professional collectors, dealers and appraisers who have amassed an extensive knowledge base for certain vintage lamp manufacturers.

Many of the most experienced and knowledgeable resources are regularly inundated with requests from individuals asking for all sorts of information regarding their antique lamps. Many of these requests are in the form of "What is it worth? "How old is it?" "Who made it?". There are plenty of individuals who will offer free quick answers and advice to these questions without regard to the time tested principles of professional appraisal. These answers are usually worth just what they cost. A genuine antique lamp appraisal determines identity and value through lengthy and careful study and actual comparisons of real transactions of the same or similar vintage lamps. The resulting appraisal not only gives a true current market value (always changing) of the antique lamp but also provides detailed historical information regarding the antique lamp, the lamp manufacturer and sometimes general historical information of the period.

Antique Lamp Identification and Appraisal

Biography: Since 1979 Jim Hoyle has owned and operated Lamp & Home Outlet - North Carolina's Most Exclusive Unique Lamps and Lamp Shades. Jim designs and manufactures fine cast metal table lamps and floor lamps and collects, sells, repairs, restores and appraises antique lamps from special acquisitions and estates worldwide. His company also specializes in lamp and home decor factory buyouts and warehouse closings.

Email comments and questions which are answered personally: LampHomeOutlet@bellsouth.net. His company's website contains a wealth of free information about lamps and lighting: http://www.hoylelamps.com/ Visit his store at 2233 East Main Street, Lincolnton, North Carolina about 25 minutes from Charlotte.

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Antique Lamps - Dresden, A Lost History

The subject of "Dresden" porcelain is not only vast, but can be a complete minefield. Dresden is more of a region or style than a single maker and basically one with a lost history. It's not what's known about Dresden, but what's not known about Dresden that's central to the subject.

Geographically, Dresden is situated on the river Elbe, about 100 miles /160 km south of Berlin and is the capital city of the German State of Saxony.

Lamps

When mention of porcelain and Saxony are used in the same sentence, we need to pause and recall that Saxony was the early 18th century birthplace of European porcelain. The driving force behind the push to discover the then "secret" of porcelain was Augustus, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland.

Augustus was a ceramic fanatic to say the least, being a voracious collector of both Chinese and Japanese porcelain. Augustus was not only fascinated, but well informed and knowledgeable about the subject. He was among the first in Europe to recognize the sublime artistic qualities of Japan's 17th century "Kakiemon" style of ceramic decoration which was just finding its way to the princely courts of Europe.

Augustus had accumulated an extraordinary collection of early Chinese and Japanese porcelain, (much of which can be seen today in the city of Meissen - one of the great treasures of modern Germany). Not only did the Elector collect porcelain, but he also thought deeply about how and from what it was made.

To add perspective, we must remember that this was the late 17th century; China & Japan were virtually unknown to the west. It was a time when these exotic countries were considered today's equivalent of another planet.

Saxony was a wealthy state with its wealth derived from mining, holding vast reserves of copper, tin, iron and silver. Having a substantial treasury, Augustus established a laboratory / workshop in Dresden castle, with a now famous chemist, Johann Frederick Bottger, as researcher.

Bottger was a virtual prisoner, confined to Dresden castle, hard at work with trial and error experiments to discover the secret of porcelain. By 1704, Bottger was able to say that he could produce a porcelain type, (today, these first European porcelains are museum reminders of the enormous contribution made by Johann Frederick Bottger).

In 1710, with the production of porcelain now a real possibility, Augustus moved Bottger and the workshop / kiln from Dresden to Meissen, about 14 miles from Dresden.

It was as if Augustus had opened Aladdin's cave. Meissen porcelain was immediately in demand and was sold as fast as it could be produced. It was so important that the discovery was designated as a state secret with severe penalties for any one found revealing what he knew about the process.

The name "Meissen" followed by the word "porcelain" is today renowned throughout the world; however there is also general confusion about the cross over between Dresden and Meissen. These two porcelain centres in fact, have nothing to do with each other. The confusion is due to several factors.

The first being that the early experimental work was done at Dresden and then moved to Meissen, the second, that the porcelain produced at Meissen was always sent to Dresden to be sold to the four corners of Europe.

Dresden was, of course, the capital city of the Kingdom of Saxony and the residence of the Saxon Elector, therefore the seat of government. As a result, the names of Dresden and Meissen became blurred.

This blur became even blurrier when Dresden porcelain painters, or decorators with small, at-home, painting studios known as "Hausmaler" in German, were able to purchase blanks, or undecorated white porcelain from the Meissen factory. The white blanks complete with the famous Meissen "crossed swords" mark. This was a recipe for confusion!

Dresden, with its close association with Meissen, especially in the 19th century, developed into an industrial scale, porcelain manufacturing city, with 225 painting studios in existence between 1855 and 1944.

(Today, much of the porcelain produced and decorated in Dresden is recognised only by the company mark, in some cases with little to almost nothing known about the makers, the exceptions being the large makers and decorators such as Carl Thieme, Rosenthal and Helena Wolfsohn, the name of Dresden being used as a generic rather than as a specific identification).

The reason for the sudden obliteration of Dresden's ceramic history occurred on the night of February 13th, 1945, the closing year of the Second World War.

In a matter of a few hours Dresden was reduced to rubble in a saturation bombing raid with 3900 ton of bombs dropped by allied air forces. 80% of the city of was reduced to ash. Not one museum, decorating studio, or collection was left, including all the historical records and documents.

One can only imagine what Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland, would have thought of his beautiful baroque capital.

We illustrate this article with a very pretty pair of Carl Thieme of Dresden, accent lamps in neo classic style.

The lamps fitted with domed covers, the urns with high arched molded handles. The lamps on a short soccle mounted on square shaped bases. The porcelain lamps standing on gold plated, custom made, bronze bases.

The domed covers and shoulders of the lamps delicately decorated with circlets of summer flowers and foliage. The urns decorated with swags of summer flowers and roseleaf meanders. The central decoration composed of a flowery, ribbon tied wreath, the ribbon as a bow with a basket of flowers suspended. The decoration repeated on the reverse side of the lamps. The lamps beautifully gilded in original condition. Circa 1910 - Overall height (including shades) 18"/46cm

Antique Lamps - Dresden, A Lost History

The Antique and Vintage Table Lamp Co specialize in antique lamps. Lamps are shipped ready wired for the US, the UK and Australia. You are invited to visit their web site at -: http://www.antiquelampshop.com These lamps can be seen on the companies web site.

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Learn About Antique Art Deco Lamps

Every home should have at least one antique Art Deco Lamp. They have a unique style and beauty, and add an atmosphere of elegance and warmth to any room.

The Art Deco style is founded in cubism, and based on mathematical geometric shapes. Some of the century's great designers and artists produced work based on this style, in items such as paintings, furniture, jewelery, advertising, textiles, architecture, and many others. The Chrysler Building in New York City is considered a masterpiece of Art Deco (once the tallest building in the world before the Empire State Building was built), as well as the auditorium of the Radio City Music Hall.

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The Art Deco era dates from the early twentieth century, from around 1920 to 1930. Back then, the style was not known as Art Deco, instead it was referred to as "Art Moderne" or "Modernistic", and later it was also called "Jazz Pattern" or "Skyscraper Modern." It wasn't until 1960 that the term Art Deco was introduced. The Art Deco style was a reversal, or revolt, of the previous Art Moderne style.

Art Deco lamps are generally made from metal such as chrome, bronze, and brass. The base used materials such as alabaster, coral, and various metals. The lampshade was clear or coloured glass, often containing a regular geometric motif. A figurine is often included, either as the upright holder for the glass lamp, or separate attached to the base. The figurines were commonly shapes of slender females with short bobbed hairstyles.

Many different types of lamps are available, such as freestanding floor lamps, desk lamps, table lamps, bedside lamps, and chandelier hanging lamps. Many of these lamps have current values of up to ten thousand dollars. They are not all officially antique yet, instead they are classed as vintage, meaning their age is between fifty and one hundred years. They generate a huge amount of interest when they become available for sale, because their value is expected to increase in the near future as soon as they become official antiques.

One aspect of antique Art Deco lamps is that when it comes to identifying them, it is generally easier than other types of antiques such as pottery, furniture, or china. There are many excellent reference books available on the subject, and most libraries will have some in stock. The major problem in identifying the objects is that they are heavily copied and reproduced, and it can be difficult to tell if the object is genuinely old and not a recent copy. The reproduction lamps have little or no value when compared to the originals.

For anybody with an interest in antiques, this is a great area to get involved in. The amount of knowledge that is required to become 'expert' is much less than many other types of antiques. The financial rewards are considerable. If this appeals to you, start off by learning as much as you can. Buy some reference books, and research the Internet also where you will find lots of free information. Check to see if your local adult education center has classes on the subject. Talk to people and never be afraid to ask questions. People involved in antiques are normally very passionate about the subject, and love to talk about it.

Learn how to spot the differences between originals and reproduction copies. When you are ready, start visiting every market in your area. Look for every flea market, garage sale, estate auction, and also remember to check all the classified adverts in your local newspaper. Very often you will be able to acquire an antique Art Deco lamp at much less than the current value.

Learn About Antique Art Deco Lamps

Brian is an antiques publisher. For more information on antique art deco lamps, visit http://www.antiquinginformation.info

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The Class and Prestige of Antique Tiffany Lamps

To be rich and have a most luxurious house in the 19th century, was to have Tiffany lamps within the walls of that house. During this time, these lamps had wealth stamped all over them because of the appearance they gave. It has been said that Tiffany lamps were created for royalty with the vivid colors of stained glass.

Tiffany & Company were the creators of this style of lamps and the company is still around and going strong today as they ever have. But in today's world, they mainly focus on beautiful pieces of jewelry instead of creating lamps. The lamps are still a favorite collector item and there are still many enthusiasts that are in search of certain antique Tiffany lamps in order to add to their collection. Charles Lewis Tiffany was the founder of the Tiffany & Company and their creator and designer. He was a very creative soul and searched around the world for a unique and different creative way to show off the beauty of light.;

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He developed a technique, after all of his research, which involved a process of exposing hot glass in with metallic oxides in order to create fumes that would seep into the molten glass and cause color shades and hues to form within it. In today's world, we know this as "iridescent glass" but most people know of it as something like a stained-glass window.

These Tiffany lamps had beautiful stained glass shades and all of them were made in 1895 and on through to 1920 when the production of Tiffany lamps ceased. This is what makes them such a collector's item because between these years, only so many Tiffany lamps were made. There were no more after that! There are a lot of lamp makers today that try to replicate antique Tiffany lamps but none of them can seem to ever get the authentic look of the lamp. The look always still seems more "modern" than antique -- no matter how much they try to disguise the fact. But one thing that has not changed about antique Tiffany lamps, is that they still give off the impression of wealth.

And you really need to be wealthy in order to purchase one of the genuine antique Tiffany lamps -- sometimes even if you just want to buy a reproduction! These lamps can cost an individual anywhere from hundreds of dollars into the thousands of dollars and sometimes even a lot more if it is truly one of the original antique Tiffany lamps.

Your wisest policy? Buy only from a reputable and knowledgeable dealer/seller. If you are being asked to pay a large sum, do not hesitate to get an independent, objective appraisal before finalizing your purchase.

The Class and Prestige of Antique Tiffany Lamps

Hwang Keum-OK owns and operates a fan site -- http://antiquelamplover.wordpress.com/

-- devoted to providing great information on Antique Lamps "I would love it if you stopped by today!"

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Antique Lamps - Style and Ambiance

Light creates the ambiance of your home, whether it is a modern award winning architectural building or a humble cottage. Getting the right lighting effect adds the final touch to your interior design plans and is worth considering at the outset of any new design, or redesign of your home.

Overhead interior lighting fixtures and fittings can be complimented and in fact, should be complimented - with a range of 'occasional lighting', floor lamps and table lamps. Any home, whatever the style, needs just the right lighting effect to set off the furnishings and decor, not to mention it will turn your house into a home.

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Using antique lamps to create the finishing touch can work well in any home, modern or otherwise, creating a real feature and talking point. Mixing and matching styles of furniture and decoration is a very old design trick. In a very modern home antique piece works incredibly well, and fit naturally into period or traditional homes. By example, a visit to a Stately home will illustrate the effectiveness of mixing design eras for maximum impact.

Very few of these houses have an interior design scheme from just one period. Victoriana mixes happily with Georgian features, Jacobean with 20th century. Even a retro-phone next to a broadband router works surprisingly well! While you shouldn't be afraid to go ahead and mix up your design periods, this approach should be handled with care! Mixing styles can work particularly well in old houses, from country cottages to Georgian style manor houses. Getting the feel right, however, is not straightforward. French Ormolu does not always fit in a suburban semi - it can, if handled well, but is not always quite the 'look'!

Thinking about the house itself is important. Old houses usually incorporate several historical periods of design already, and for this reason can be well suited to the eclectic mix and match approach. More modern houses, be it a Victorian terrace or a thirties house may need a more careful approach. If you are a 'period' stylist, you may want to go to extremes and decorate this type of house with antiques and features from just one specific period.

In either case, getting the right finishing touches for your light fittings is important. Victorian terraces or villas would traditionally have possessed gas lighting, and antique lamps that have been for converted for electric use are ideal for this type of home. Having your electrician add a dimmer switch - not a difficult job itself - to the control will add a more authentic look. Paraffin and oil lamps can also be sourced to add lighting details, again this type of antique lamp can be sourced that has been adapted to be used with electrical fittings - reducing the work and smell involved!

20th Century Homes.

A 1930s home or any 20th century building can be pretty adaptable when it comes to style. Structurally they can lend themselves well to opening up rooms to create a more modern feel or adding and extending to create space. In this case you may decide to go for a fully modernist interior design and this type of house can suit it well. Adding the odd period feature, however, can provide a visual nod to the buildings origins, making a surprisingly effective statement. If you choose to be faithful to the period style of your home, furnishing with items from the period is easily done.

Antique shops and online traders can be found that specialise in various eras. Iconic designs from the 60s and 70s such as the Lava lamp are still reproduce and widely available, as are feature vintage lamps from just about every style the 20th century has to offer

Choices, Choices, Choices.

Whatever type, or style of building you are making into your home, the details of your interior design will be important. Using antique lamps throughout the design, whether it is period or modernist can create a great visual impact, lighting your home in a subtle welcoming way. Added to their beauty is the fact that antique lamps have an inbuilt value in them, making them an investment for the future as well as a unique and attractive design statement.

The range of available antique lamps is also extremely varied. Popular designs include classic French designs, English and Japanese lamps, plus the vast range of Chinese porcelains. Each of these styles is adaptable, but if you have a very modern design scheme, Japanese style is worth considering. Despite their antiquety, the simplicity of some Japanese designs can appear to be startlingly modern.

Reassigned vases as table lamps are also popular, creating a functional and valuable lighting addition to your interior design. Prices can vary, so shop around until you have found the right 'must have' finishing touch for your home. Whatever style of design you have chosen to create your home, a feature antique lamp can set of your design in a subtle but beautiful way, creating just the right ambiance for relaxing in the welcoming light of home.

Antique Lamps - Style and Ambiance

The Antique and Vintage Table Lamp Co specialise in antique lamps with an exclusive on-line range of over 100 unique lamps.

Lamps are shipped ready wired for the US, the UK and Australia.

For further information you are invited to visit their web site at -: http://www.antiquelampshop.com

© The Antique and Vintage Table Lamp Co 2011

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