A pair of vintage Chinese hand painted porcelain antique vase lamps of baluster form

A Pair of vintage Chinese hand-painted porcelain antique vase lamps of baluster form, dressed with French patinated bronze mounts in the oriental taste. In the 17th century, England & Holland, two small, warlike seafaring nations vied for supremacy in the newly established trade in the then extraordinary commodities from the Orient, such as tea, spices, silks, porcelain, lacquer, and design. Chinese translucent porcelain, unknown at that time in Europe, and the affiliated decorative patterns, ('Willow pattern' prunus flowers, mythological animals court scenes, and dragons, inter alia) were, as is said 'all the rage'. These blue ground vases with floral cartouches were brought to the West, and, with a stroke of inspiration employed as oil lamps, being fitted with ormolu bases in the oriental taste and oil reservoirs and burners; here, the original wick adjusters are retained. Thus, artistic effort, knowledge, and tradition were combined with typical Victorian practicality, and with our adaptation for electricity, a century and a half later, the decorative lighting function is in use again.

• SKU: LTCH0001372
• Origin: China
• Category: Chinese Lamps
• Height (Base to Shade Carrier): 17cm x 83cm ( 7" x 32" inches)
• Weight: 3.3kg each lamp