Antique Ornamental Table Lamp with Claw Feet
This lamp is some kind of heavy metal that is dark with a brassy color appearing throughout the piece. It has a bit of verdigris on the body, and it looks like there was a piece of protective material on the bottom of the lamp that was removed. There aren't any manufacturers marks or logos that I can find, and there aren't any engravings on the underside. There are 4 claw feet, two pieces of dark/black stone on the body (maybe polished marble or onyx?), and it looks like it might have been rewired at some point. Maybe that's why the bottom protective piece is gone and why the light bulb socket looks so much newer and shinier compared to everything else on the lamp?
The lamp is 17 inches tall (not including the bulb socket) and the base is about 6 inches in diameter.
Auction House
Yes
Hi Brittanie,
Thank you for contacting Mearto with your appraisal inquiry.
This lamp takes the form of pricket candlesticks, which were a (mostly) European type of candlestick that were designed to hold a candle by means of a sharp metal spike, or "pricket"; from your photos this looks like it was converted with a cup or socket mounted to the top and the base drilled to allow threading of electrical wiring.
Traditionally, pricket candlesticks are associated with medieval (14th-15th century) and early modern Europe, and were made through the 18th Century. They were made from a variety of materials - silver, iron, wood, brass and bronze - but yours looks like it is MOST LIKELY brass that has a dark surface (sometimes called lampblack).
The use of onyx was more commonly found on 17th and 18th Century pricket candlesticks rather than on 14th-16th century ones. During the late 19th Century, the Medieval and Renaissance revival movement inspired makers to recreate earlier forms; I am as certain as I can be from only seeing this from photos that this was made in the late 19th Century as part of that revival style.
You mention that you purchased this at auction, which, if it were well publicized and held online, means you probably paid what it's worth but if you're curious as to whether or not you paid a reasonable price, I can say that I've found a few other pricket-type candlestick lamps that have brought between $200 and $300 at auction.
Based on the photos and information provided, and subject to examination, this is:
An antique Renaissance Revival pricket-form lamp
In the European style, late 19th or early 20th Century
with onyx elements
Overall height 17 inches
CONDITION: this appears to be in generally good condition with minor wear commensurate to age and use.
PROVENANCE: acquired at auction
$ 200-300*
*represents a fair-market value for auction purposes; retail or asking price may vary.
Please let us know if you have additional items to appraise, or questions/concerns, and thank you again for using Mearto.
~ Delia
A great find! The earlier ones were made in one piece whereas the later ones were cast in sections and then assembled together (which made it possible to insert marble and onyx). Look for seams between the different parts...
I see! That makes sense. The different sections made me wonder if it was from the late 20th century and not valuable. I'm glad I was wrong! Do you have any suggestions on where to sell it? I would just go to eBay, but I'm new to thrifting and antiquing so I'm not sure if there's a better place to list this particular item.
EBay is a great place to start but it's full of trolls - mostly people looking to really score a bargain - and that can put a lot of sellers off.
You can list this on your local Facebook marketplace, or you can list this on Catawiki, which Mearto has a relationship with (see https://www.mearto.com/catawiki).
Hi Delia! Thank you so much for taking the time to review this lamp for me! At one point I selected that I purchased it at a second-hand store, but the setting might have reset itself. I bought it at Goodwill for $10. I saw it on the shelf and it immediately caught my eye! Can you tell me why you think it's part of the late 19th century revival movement versus the 17th-18th century creations? Just curious so I can learn and keep an eye out for things in the future :)