Initials 'A D' on a brass lamp.

Hello everybody.

First of all thanks for the nicest welcome I have ever had to any forum from Peter T Davis!

I have inherited a lamp which, to be honest, looks rediculous in our utilitarian house. I am trying to identify who it is made by. No internet searches helped and the local antiques dealers in our town could not help.

The lamp is brass and as heavy as you would expect. I've broken it down into its many parts / layers but the only markings I can find are the initials 'A D' on the underside of the base (stamped once in each corner).

My grandma always said it used to belong to Maurice Chevalier so I wondered if it might be French. That may be a red-herring and I have no actual proof that Maurice Chevalier ever set eyes on the object.

I have attached a few photos. I'm more than happy to take extra photos if they would be useful.

Thanks for any help.

Jake Muldaur,
Herefordshire
UK

 

Hi and welcome!

I can't say that this is a correct attribution but Delafontaine, it seems, used an AD foundry mark. Perhaps it is a lead to follow while waiting for someone with actual knowledge.

Example.
https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/11276917_louis-valentin-elias-robert-french-1821-1874

 

Very pretty lamp.

 

Please don't get rid of your lamp until it has been identified. Utilitarian it is certainly not, but it does have a certain appeal. Be aware that such items are welcome guests at dinner parties! (Talk about conversation starters!)

 

Welcome here, Jake...You're in good company!

 

Thanks, I won't let it go until I get some more information. I know my gran loved it and would hate for it to leave the family. But it would be better in an old hotel lounge or somewhere where people can sit next to it and enjoy it. I hope to get to retire and have dinner parties one day! but at the moment I am going full-bore all day and it will never be properly appreciated here.
Hopefully somebody on this forum will point me in the right direction.

 

Greetings, Jake!

 

Hi Jake, and WELCOME!!! Do you have at least ONE image of your lamp fully assembled before you took it apart.....from the pieces you show, it looks wonderful, but would be nice to see it whole!!! I guess I mean....WITH a shade, if you have one....after taking a second look at your images!! Thank you....if you do!!

 

Some additional tips on posting images, if you don't mind!! Yours are all under the MAX size of 1 MB each, so that's a good start!! But members like to see FULL images posted instead of having to click on thumbnails....so here's the whole "enchilada" of what I usually post to help new members!!

For Future reference, when posting images:

Try emailing them to yourself as "medium" size, they should then be under 1 MB!

Each image MUST be UNDER 1 MB....
There are instructions on site here on how to reduce the size of your image, if that is the problem......you are allowed up to 10 images per post!!! Here are some links to the instructions:

If on the computer:
https://www.antiquers.com/threads/posting-a-thread-and-uploading-pictures.15990/

If on an iPhone:
https://www.antiquers.com/threads/resizing-photos-on-i-phone.35097/

And if on an Android phone:
https://www.antiquers.com/threads/using-an-android-phone-for-pics-on-antiquers.41709/

As an added note, when you have your photos LISTED, BEFORE you hit POST, please click on the wording that says to "POST EVERY IMAGE FULL SIZE" !! That way, we're not clicking on little thumbnails, but get to see all of the images full sized!! Thanks! Remember, it takes a bit for MOST new members to get the hang of it, but it's really quite simple once you get used to it!!!" Thanks!!!

 

Welcome Jake,beautiful old lamp.Any relation to Maria Muldaur (Kweskin Jug Band) ?

 

Thanks for the friendly introductions all of you!

No, no relation to Maria Muldaur. Can quite easily spend an hour or so listening to her though.

Here are some more images as suggested above. Any further information would be useful.

No shade as it was an addition in the 90's. It looks terrible!

 

Anybody know what the correct course of action to identify this lamp is in the absence of anybody on the forum having any firm answers? I tried two antiques dealers in the local town who showed complete disinterest and shrugged their shoulders. I don't know where to turn next. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

Antique Electric/Gas Lighting Collectors Clubs-U.S.,UK & Europe (most/all online).The 'Amateur' Collectors can be much more passionate & scholarly than the professional dealers who are researching,pricing & marketing hundreds/thousands of items a year.

 

Which doesn't excuse their rudeness.

 

Very true Silverbell ! If someone politely asks for an opinion on a poss precious item-wouldn't it behoove said Dealer to graciously answer ?
I've seen a fair number of Dealers over the years,ignore,browbeat,lowball,etc.,Pickers that could have become a valuable ongoing resource to them.
Mystifies me.
PS-Jake,go global with your research.As my old Anthropology Prof used to say-'The whole world aint' Muskogee !'.

 

Thanks for that both. I'll keep hunting. I'll come back when I get some results. By the way Bosko, you have an interesting writing style. I suspect you were an author or a journalist in this life or another. It's ages since I saw 'behoove' ('behove' here in the UK I think) and 'browbeat' was a favourite of my dad's.

 

Been reading a lot of fiction from the 19th & early 20th century.I do play w/ short stories some-but have to be careful editing out the more archaic verbiage,w/ Twitter modern vocab's changing at light speed.

 

Don't edit it out. Leave it in and hopefully generate some curiosity and appreciation.

 

I have found a stamp which is very similar to mine from August Delafontaine (as proposed by say_it_slowly above). When I put the two side by side they are a close match to my untrained eye. Any further information would be useful.