Odd MCM lamp

Picked up this lamp yesterday. I don't know if it is original as made or some kind of fabrication. It looks like it should be a sconce but it has a very heavy weighted base with felt on the bottom. I think it has been repainted at some point. It came with this pair of lamps that don't really match but are also refurbished. I know I have seen this latter pair before and the other seems vaguely familiar (maybe just the flower part is familiar). Thoughts?

 

Those silver plated flowers were big in the 80s ( I know,I say that a lot ! ) they came in silver bud vases . Every girl I knew had one.

 

Maybe you gave them out too liberally Johnny....

 

Nothing of any help, but the first one looks out of proportion and just odd, to me. So I wouldn't doubt that it could have been reworked.

 

The flowers are painted iron and permanently attached to the screw-on lamp fitting. I don't think they are the same as the silverplated ones from the 80s. I wonder if it might originally have been a shade finial. The lamp is really odd how the arms swoop down almost touching the tabletop but there were some really odd lamps made in the 50s and 60s. This could be just as made.

If I thought this was just a made up lamp, I would use it for parts. I only paid $2.75 for it so figured it was worth that even just for parts. However, if it is as made, I don't want to mess with it. If I don't find it anywhere, I may just try it on ebay as-is. If it doesnt sell, I can always use it for parts later.

 

It is indeed an oddball.

 

So... there are no shades involved? And the bulbs are meant to be exposed? I wonder if original bulbs were fancier or ornamental in themselves. I wonder if the first (or all three) is/are some kind of special-function lamp(s), like...for sitting on a coffin, or piano, or highlighting a mantle or niche, or (the last two) highlighting bookends or night stands.

 

I think the 2 arms on the first one might put it in the 'candelabra lamp' category. You could try searching with that term.

 

I think if this is as originally made, it would have had some kind of clip-on shades. I don't think all three lamps originally went together. The fittings and sockets on the pair do not match those on the odd one. I think someone put them together and refurbished them to match as s some kind of console set.

Hadn't thought to search candelabra lamp. Makes sense but doing so does not bring up anything quite like this. In fact, no searches have brought up anything quite like this.

 

Wellllllll... this was described as an electric brass candelabra. KINDA looks like your, Brad.

http://thumbs.ebaystatic.com/images/g/bjsAAOSw14xWLIRe/s-l225.jpg

 

That is a fairly common much older style lamp. The closest thing I could find is this cattail lamp. There are a couple different versions of this and I found many examples. No one seems to know who made them.



I wonder if mine originally had flexible arms like this. It would make much more sense.

Edit: I am finding some attributing these to Laurel.

 

OMG I love that cat-tail!