Figural Oil Lamp Base Age

Hi,
I remember someone had posted an oil lamp with a figural base and I believe Susan posted information on them. I've tried to find that post but can't find it, maybe it was on the ebay board but I can't find it there.
The figure stands 8"H x 6"W, the font is 5 1/2"H, the collar has plaster around the bottom. No marks other than someone has put some numbers on the base - trying to determine age and possibly where it was made.
Thanks for looking.

 

Hi, cx. Following is a link to the latest reply I've given on these spelter figural lamp stems. It has a timeframe for spelter stems. As I'm awfully busy on this holiday weekend, I don't have time this evening and probably not tomorrow to look through my sources for this particular stem. At the moment I don't remember seeing this stem before, but come either late tomorrow or Tuesday morning I may have found it with possibly more specific info.

https://www.antiquers.com/threads/old-oil-lamp-age-glass-type-etc.1887/#post-27172

--- Susan

 

Yes, that is the thread!!! Thank-you for finding this Susan, you are amazing

 

Just a quick observation. The figural stem of this lamp may be iron like the base and not spelter. Do check the stem with a magnet. The collar on this lamp is unusual. It certainly doesn't have one of the usual brass collars the mid to late 1800s American oil lamps were fitted with. I suspect it may be European. Is it just my poor eyesight that I think there is 700 area code phone number on the bottom? I don't think there is a 700 area code???

--- Susan

 

those are likely just dealer numbers...

 

I've never seen this feller either, but I like him. 'Most' of these were attached to a soapstone or marble base. Your font doesn't quite fit the figure, which could be a marriage or it's missing the brass cup that holds the font to the figure.

 

>Your font doesn't quite fit the figure,<

Milestone, you beat me to this oddity. I was in the midst of writing a quick reply about it. I refreshed the screen before posting and saw your message. Here's is what I was going to say:

--------------------
There is something not quite right with the font and the stem connection. There is just too much space where the peg font connects to the stem. That font does not fit the stem properly. It is missing a brass connector/ screw socket that fits/screws into the top of the stem and the peg font would fit into the top of the connector.
--------------------

As to the base, like mile said the bases were *usually* squares of soapstone, marble, or slate. I do have a at least 4 iron base spelter figural lamps, but not with this shape base.

Bradley & Hubbard, "Goddess of Liberty," stem lamp with hexagon shape iron base:
http://home.earthlink.net/~filearchives/lamps/spelter/LampFigLadyBustLiberty.jpg

Matthews & Willard Mfg. Co, "Girl in Bonnet," stem lamps with ornate iron bases - mfg 1892. I originally credited these of Bradley & Hubbard, but now know by M & W:
http://home.earthlink.net/~filearchives/lamps/spelter/LampFigBlondeGirl.jpg
http://home.earthlink.net/~filearchives/lamps/spelter/LampFigBlackGirl.jpg

Bradley & Hubbard, "Colonial Boy," stem with a square iron base:
http://home.earthlink.net/~filearchives/lamps/spelter/LampFigBlueBoyColonial.jpg

Here is a figural stem lamp with an iron base a bit similar to this one. Do note the connector between the stem and the font and do note the brass ring around the base of the stem where it connects to the base.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Grape-Harve...eda3a&pid=100204&rk=22&rkt=30&sd=140994937175

I also think it is a marriage also possibly in 3 sections. The font, the stem and the base. If that stem came with that base, I believe it would have a brass ring around the base of the stem. The stem on this lamp overlaps, too wide, where it meets the base. As we said above, the font doesn't fit and is missing a connector.

Concentrating on the stem, if the stem is iron, it would be older than spelter stems. These figural stems were first casted in iron. c1860s spelter was used because greater detail could be achieved.

I haven't found either the font, stem or base in any of Thuro's 3 Oil lamp books. Hopefully will have time to look through the oil lamp catalogs tonight.

--- Susan

 

I didn't beat you too it Susan, your just more thorough than I, but were both on the same page. The lack of a base also brought to mind a candle holder.
Tim

 

Thanks for all the information and links!
I think the numbers are social insurance numbers, probably marked in case of theft.
The base is heavy, I just assumed spelter but will check with a magnet tonight.
Yes, I wondered about the font - when I bought this it was attached with plaster but as you noted, it didn't/doesn't fit in tight so I took it out.
I've had this for quite some time and every now and then look to see if I can find one the same but never have.
Sorry, I should have said I had looked through Thuro's books (I have 2) and didn't see it there.
Off to check out the links, thanks again!

 

This is totally useless information, but as soon as I saw that lamp all I could think was Lord of the Rings - this thing needs to go to a hard core fan. (LOL)

 

On reading mile's idea of a candle holder I initially thought was probably correct. At the last moment I did another Google search using the key words of Gnome oil lamp. Lo and behold up popped another one of your lamp stem and base! It appears to have the same stem attached to the same base as yours. It has a different font with a connector between the font and stem. The font is probably a Sandwich glass white & blue/gray cut double overlay quatrefoil. Nowwww for the bad news, the lamp is only a thumbnail. When enlarged/zoomed the pic is very distorted and hard to see the detail. Also it seems it was an auction on e-Bay that isn't there anymore. Even running several advanced eBay searches for it on completed and sold, I can't find the sale. The only info available is a brief description seen on the Google page.

"Antique Overlay White blue/gray? Sandwich Glass Figural Gnome Base Oil Lamp Elf!"

https://www.google.com/search?q=Ant...nkw%3Doverlay%2Boil%2Blamp%26_frs%3D1;140;225

I worked on enlarging the thumbnail with little improvement. The attempted edited version of that thumbnail is at the end of this message. Now there is no evidence the Sandwich font is original to that other lamp; however, it looks more appropriate in style, etc… than the font on yours. Barlow and Kaiser's The Glass Industry in Sandwich, Volume 2, pp. 209-210, etc… pictures several of those quatrefoil fonts. This book shows several of Sandwich fonts on figural lamps, but the lamps metal stems and bases were manufactured by several lamp companies like Dietz. Boston & Sandwich only did glass.

I have now looked though my oil lamp catalogs like for Bradley & Hubbard, Dietz, Ives, Miller, etc… with no luck spotting this particular stem. Soooo, at the moment I believe your stem and base are original to each other and were of an oil lamp. If the stem is spelter then it would date from c1860s-1880 - possibly the earlier part of that time frame. If the stem is cast iron, it would date c1850-1860s. I'm just not sure what time frame to put on the font. As it is a peg font it may date from the same time frame of the mid 1800s??

--- Susan

 

Wow, thank-you very much for all your searching to find this information Susan! Truly amazing you were able to find another one of these bases. That is frustrating when those listings are no longer available.
I can't believe I have no magnets at home so I will have to get one tomorrow and see if it is iron. The stem and base weigh 3lb 14oz. I took some close-up photos of how the base and stem are joined but I guess with your finding another I don't need to post them.
Thanks again!

 

Finally picked up a magnet - stem and base don't react so they aren't iron.