Julia Fairy Lamp Auction - Unusual designs

As you know, Julia Auction is conducting a major Glass and Lamp Auction in June, including several choice fairy lamps. In the auction highlights there are several fairy lamps worthy of discussion. The Julia Auction Highlights are at:


To get started, I have picked an example for your comment. Do be shy. Waddya think?


Jim.

I don't know whether the base of this fairy lamp is original or not. I haven't seen one like it. When I have seen this type of lamp, it is on a mirrored base. I think the post has been metal. This is a beautiful lamp and it is amazing that such a fragile lamp has survived intact. Genene

This is one of those lamps I would love to see in person. It very well could be a design similar to R-747, with it being correct, or it could be like R702 with the glass support broken off and ground down to fit into a brass fitting. Without talking dirrectly with them, or seeing it in person, the photo isn't giving enough clues as to what it is or was.

CadKing

cadking wrote:This is one of those lamps I would love to see in person.

I agree, to make a positive judgement one needs to inspect this lamp first hand. However, I believe there is a strong probabily that this design in not original but an effort to salvage a broken lamp like the one shown R-702. In considering how "top heavy" this lamp must be, I think another "tragedy" is very likely.

Now that we have picked that design apart, waddya think of this one:

I think the shade and clear cup are fine, but the question is about the base with the finger hole. The shade looks to be the same as R-557 or R-599. In both of those lamps, the base has the same design as the shade, but in the photo above, the glass looks to be without a similar pattern (I do know that not everything needs to match, but usually does). It also looks like the candle cup is sitting on the bottom and not resting on the sides. This would allow the cup and shade to slide around a little. I also would be very careful walking around with my finger in the loop, as the edge work is fragile, I think it would break the flaired rim off and everything would be lost. Still a nice light.

CadKing

There is another fairy lamp in the James Julia auction with a fragile glass finger ring. They are obviously decorative and not functional. I agree that the results of carrying them around with the finger ring could be disastrous. The metal holders with a finger ring are more substantial. Who would have made these fairy lamps? Genene

I think Cadking and Genden70 are correct in their assessment of the handled base. While attractive, I do not believe it is original or ever intended to support a fairy lamp. It looks like a candy dish to me.

Since Genden70 brought up the floral fairy lamp with the matching handled base, I thought I would post the photo and open it for discussion. Genden70's question about who made these floral lamps could prove to be a bit tricky. What say you?

I think this lamp is not old, but not new either. It looks as if the shade was formed or molded with the different layers in the mold, rather than the older style where each petal was placed one at a time. The top opening looks to be tooled, but not the rest of the shade. The feet don't have the older style look to them where they would come down to more of a fine tooled tip rather than a pulled style. The petals around the base to hold the shade also have a more modern feel and look to them as well, and again the problem with the handle being only attached to one glass petal would soon lead to a damaged lamp. The base looks to be made from clear yellow glass while the top has something in it. What does anyone else see?

CadKing

To me, the yellow one appears to have been made to go together. I agree with Cadking that it appears not to be victorian. I would like to see it taken apart. The base doesn't appear to me to be deep enough to be a candy dish. It has petal points that seem to be made to accommodate the dome. It is attractive for display, but it doesn't seem to me that it was made for functional use during victorian times. It would more appropriately be a later representation made just for decoration. Having said all that, I would welcome someone proving me wrong. That's the fun of fairy lamp collecting. By the way, did anyone else notice that one of the burmese lamps in the auction is a marriage of a Webb dome and a Mt. Washington dish? I could be wrong here too. Genene

Guess what I just found? On Graham and Helen's website of fairy lamps pull2504.jpg is very interesting. It appears to be the exact same yellow fairy lamp, but without the ring handle or feet. What do the rest of you think? Genene

The lamp shown on Graham's website appears to be the design patented by John Walsh Walsh Glass in 1891. Here is a link to the patented design:

http://www.fairy-lamp.com/Fairylamp/Walsh_Rd_172125_Mod.jpg

Floral fairy lamps and floral posey holders have been discussed extensively in other forums. As the discussions evloved, I developed a webpage that captured the information. I think you will find the information informative. The webpage is at:

http://www.fairy-lamp.com/Fairylamp/Floral_Lamps.html

I think I will add both Graham's fairy lamp and the lamp in Julia's auction to the data base.

Jim.

Looking at the lamp without the feet, as I noted before, the petals are not overlapping or smooth on the surface. They have been added in rings around a glass dome with space between them. Looking at the lamp with feet, you will also notice the shade is up against the petals on the right and away from the handle side, does this mean that there is no candle holder as in the lamp without feet? which would allow the shade to slide around.

CadKing

I just sent a note to Julia Auction asking for a photo of the lamp with the shade off the base.

Jim.

genden70 wrote:By the way, did anyone else notice that one of the burmese lamps in the auction is a marriage of a Webb dome and a Mt. Washington dish? I could be wrong here too. Genene

Well good, Genene. Not many would have picked up on the Mount Washington Base.


Of course this is a confusing shape and it was not uncommon for both Mt. Washington and Webb to make the same shape. That said, I do not believe this base was intended to be a fairy lamp base.

Part of the confusion could be from R-602. This base, however, has a Mt.Washington decoration. The shade and cup are, of course, Webb.


To add to the confusion, Mt Washington also decorated this shape in the Hawthorn pattern. Except for the thorns, it is almost identicle to the Webb decoration of the same name (AKA Prunus).


This base could easily pass for a Webb product.

Bottom line: While attractive, I have found no evidence that this triangular base was ever intended to be used as a fairy lamp base. I would welcome that evidence if any one has it.

Jim,

While we wait for the photo of the lamp disassembled, I have a question about another lamp. The Burmese lamp in the base with part of the base being turned up. This is the same design as U-234 which notes the base is of unknown Clarke design. Has anything come to light since this was noted? The lamp is this one:

I have no documentation on this base. To me it is still a mystery. I would love to be able to inspect it to see it is stamped with the Clarke trademark.

U-234 appears to be the same base in pyramid-size.


It seems more than a coincedence that it is made in both fairy lamp sizes. I think finding it both sizes adds to the case that it could very well be a Clarke commissioned base. But, without documentation, it is hard to be sure.

The closest I can come to the design is the menu holder design, Clarke model 253.


But, as you can see it is quite different with the foot and likelyhood of two "pulled-up areas" on the base.

Jim.

If you look at the catalogue for the Spring April 11,12 Early Auction (their interactive internet catalogue on their website) there is a "holder" just this same shape, but it holds a decorated egg rather than a fairy lamp dome and is listed as Mt. Washington. I have never seen anything like it before, so it captured my attention.


Just as a side note. There is a Mt Washington burmese decorated egg now on ebay, but it doesn't have a base or holder.

Genene

Both the lamp from Julia and U-234 are both Pyramid-size lamps. So they both are using the same size base. I have not seen this style base in a Fairy size, are you saying they you have?

CadKing

Perhaps I am mistaken about the Julia lamp. Just looking at the lamp cup, it look like a fairy-size beaded rim.

Jim.

I was looking at the spacing of the beaded rim and it looks like the pyramid size more than either a wee or a fairy. I took a photo of the three different sized beaded cups so you could see also. (Now if I can only figure out how to post a photo).

Yep, I think you are correct. Both lamps are pyramid size.

Congrats on posting a photo.

Jim

Well, we certainly can not over look this "fairy lamp" from the Julia auction.


Jim.

Should it sit on a lily pad base instead of the lamp cup? Genene