A Pretty Naturalistic Late Victorian Brass & Cranberry Glass Hall Lantern c.1890

Object Description

Of attractive waisted hourglass shaped form the high-Victorian period hall lantern, of naturalistic influence, the pierced brass fittings to include an attractive acanthus leaf finial with leaf motif collar over the original bulbous cranberry moulded and fluted glass, the applied pressed metal mounts to the glass now primarily lacking, the base terminating in a pattern decorated finial and with the original hanging chain fixtures, surviving from late nineteenth century England.

Object History

Unknown.

Object Literature

Cranberry glassware has a deep red colour and a golden sheen and was popular in England and the USA in the late 19th century. By the 1880s, the range of lamp-shade styles increased dramatically with the spread of home-electricity use. Lamp makers looked to Art Nouveau, as well as plant and animal life, to inspire their designs. Manufacturers were soon creating shades in a spectrum of coloured glass, either hand-cut into complex patterns or blown into natural forms like flowers like this one. This craze for the natural form is seen in this particular lantern with its flowering leaf finial, the leaf motifs to the collar and the body acting like a hanging flower bud.

Bathe in a bohemian light.

Object Condition

The light fitting is in good, working condition. The whole has a good aged patination to the surface of both the glass and especially the brass with the finish worn more heavily in some places than others. As mentioned the applied decoration to the main glass body is now mainly lacking with some small areas remaining. The light has had its aged and unsafe wiring replaced and has been PAT tested and is now up to modern standards and is supplied a 3-pin plug.

Object Details