Pair of Antique Continental Gilt-Metal Grape-Vine & Faux Malachite Table Lamps

Details

Description

A pair of Continental, probably French, gilt-metal table lamps or electrified candlesticks, late 19th to early 20th century, circa 1890-1910. … Read more A pair of Continental, probably French, gilt-metal table lamps or electrified candlesticks, late 19th to early 20th century, circa 1890-1910. Each rises from a shaped green faux malachite marbleized plinth with gilt edging, supporting an ornate cast-metal standard with scrolling foliate feet, rocaille aprons, grape clusters, vine leaves, shield-shaped cartouches, and a tall candle-form upper socket. Material: gilt cast metal with green marbleized base, red felt underside, and later electrical components. Maker: not identified; small stamped marks are visible on the lower gilt-metal base.

The form draws on French Rococo Revival and Bacchic decorative vocabulary, especially the grape clusters, vine leaves, and flowing foliate ornament. Comparable 19th-century French gilt-bronze candlesticks are frequently described with grape and vine decoration, and related Restauration and Victorian-period examples use Bacchic vine motifs as symbols of abundance and hospitality. These comparisons support the decorative classification, though they should not be taken as a direct maker attribution.

The pair is visually distinguished by the contrast between warm gilt-metal ornament and the deep green, marbleized bases. The stems are modeled with a sequence of bulbous and waisted forms, giving the lamps a strong vertical silhouette, while the lower aprons show cast openwork and leaf-and-grape relief. Their later electrification makes them functional as table lamps while preserving the original candlestick-derived profile.

Measurements: 21" h x 6.25" w. See less