Featured Antique Lamp? Beautiful, looks to be ceramic and iron

Hi guys,

I'm brand new to antiquing so forgive my ignorance.

My husband and I just nabbed this antique lamp at an auction for $3. I think it is beautiful!

It has a marking on the bottom saying HK MONIF 645 Madison Ave, New York.

I have been unable to find anything about this other than this address is tied to a 13th century Syrian antique for sale in France. Perhaps HK Monif was an auction house?

I'm very interested in knowing more about this lamp, what decade its from, where was it from, etc etc. I want to find a lamp shade for it but no idea what would "match".

Unfortunately it looks like it was broken and put together again. I'm going to be cleaning it gently and taking some more photos but I'm so eager to know more I couldn't wait to post lol!

Any idea how I can find out more about this beauty?

*Editted to remove some of the terrible dark pictures I took last night and replace with slightly better photos. Thanks, sun!*

 

Hi, Sassy, and welcome!

A quick Google search seems to indicate that H.K. Monif (H. Kahn Monif) had a gallery in NYC, and quite a nice one, at that! It looks as if he died in 1968.

 

That is amazing, how did you find that? I tried all my google-fu and could only find the tidbit about another antique in France from here.

So... and pardon my ignorance... this would mean that this piece was originally from elsewhere and Monif would have been a reseller?

 

From the lamp arrangement. I'd guess '20s or '30s, but that's just a guess. Looks like a Chinsese vase or maybe ginger jar that has been repurposed as a lamp. A better look at the pot might be helpful. Is it extensively repaired? Major cracks?

There is a chance the ceramic is really old.

 

Hassan Khan Monif, Persian antique gallery, from google.

 

Monif apparently did sell from his gallery, but he also loaned things to museums often. It looks as if he specialized to some degree in Islamic art and manuscripts.

Here, for example, is a provenance mention from a Sotheby's auction catalogue:

...were with H.K. Monif in New York, whence the majority of those in North American collections originated

from:
http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2011/c-welch-part-ii-l11227/lot.33.html

 

[QUOTE="So... and pardon my ignorance... QUOTE]

Welcome. No need to forgive or pardon here. Ask as many questions as you want. This site is full of people willing to provide all sorts of knowledge and history.

 

I had the same feeling, would love to see more of the vase.
Sassy, could you click on the 'full image' button when you post pictures? That is easier for most of us, so you'll get more people looking at the thread.

Nothing to forgive, we are all here to learn and share.

 

Husband and I just had a better look. YOU ARE COMPLETELY RIGHT

This is some kind of ceramic jug that has been turned into a lamp.

There are huge cracks along the ceramic but upon closer inspection it does not look repaired. It just looks like cracks that have formed over the years.

I am flabbergasted right now. This is NOT what I was expecting. Just to find out I bought a $3 lamp from the 20's is a delight, but to think this ceramic might be hundreds of years old?

How do I find out more? I suppose I need to contact a local antiques dealer?

I have looked over the ceramic very carefully, there are no other markings besides the little sticker for Monif.

Would this be a rare piece or a very rare piece?

Thank you everyone! I am so excited right now.

Here are a few more photos of the cracks and close up of the ceramic. You can see there is a rim that is underneath the lamp hardware, and some of it is cracked.

 

I don't have time to break out my DSLR but I am 100% going to take better pictures this weekend! I am so excited to hear what you guys think of it.

I am 100000% positive it is ceramic that was made into a lamp. Now I am enthralled! When/where/how. I want to know everything. What a thrill! And this was only my second auction.

 

Is there anything specific I should take photos of?

 

Could that be an excavated piece? It would explain the cracks.

 

A nice straight on side view that really shows the overall shape of the pot would be good, and hopefully one that gives a sense of the patterning especially around the shoulder.

I like the way the glaze seems to stop short of the foot in an intentional drip.

If you undo that nut on the bottom, the thing will probably come apart into its individual components, but I don't know if that's a good idea. If the ceramic is broken into pieces, taking the lamp apart might cause the ceramic to fall apart as well.

There are others on these boards who know a lot more than I. If there's something to say, hopefully they'll chime in.

If there is a knowledgeable person locally to look at it, that's probably the way to go.

Don't get too excited. Condition appears to be a real issue and there's a surprising amount of really ancient ceramic out there that has very little value.

Not saying that yours is ancient... I don't know. I've had pieces that looked ancient to me but turned out to be quite recent.

 

That is crazy to think of! But I am having trouble finding similar looking pieces. One of the pieces I saw that does "sort of" look similar is from 12th or 13th century Iran.

It reminds me of these:

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/267682771580249351/

and

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/340162578077592275/

Could it SERIOUSLY be from 12th or 13th century?!

 

Can I get a little excited? haha

 

Here is me with more photos! I can't help myself lol.

There is a shiny, more well preserved side and then a dull more damaged side. When you look up close it is a very lovely blue with faded cracking. I will be getting better photos with my DSLR tomorrow, it is just currently buried under a pile of stuff and company is coming!

 

Welcome!

 

Welcome. This is the fun part of finding old/interesting things and learning all about them. I love the colours, I would be excited to find such an item too!

 

I think you can. Maybe not about the value, but certainly about the age and beauty.
I would take that lamp contraption off, it is probably damaging the rim anyway, and display the vase/urn as the beautiful object it is. You can use the top part to make a separate lamp.

Here is a theory, the vase was shipped from Iran, but was in pieces when it arrived in New York. They made a lamp out of it, so it would still have some retail value (at the time).
There may be a value issue here, although it is worth more than the $3 you paid, but I would buy the vase and stand in a heartbeat.

Sassy, could you take a close up of one the animals in the frieze?

 

This is a very lovely piece, Sassy and you did well acquiring it for a modest three dollars. That in itself is reason to get a little excited. However, as anyjewelry articulates, older does not imply more valuable.

Value is a function of supply and demand. Demand, in turn, is a function of aesthetic appeal, collective appeal and functional appeal.

Aesthetic appeal...I want this piece because it looks beautiful.

Collective appeal....I want this piece because I feel that it will appreciate as market dynamics evolve.

Functional appeal.....I want this piece because I can make effective use of it.

There are plenty of pottery pieces over two thousand years old that are worth less than $100 and these are in perfect condition.