A pair of vintage Chinese Sang de Boeuf (Bull's Blood) antique vase lamps of shouldered baluster form, dressed with French
bronze mounts.
This pair, with the rich red coloration of Sang de Boeuf effected by the use of copper in the glaze, had been employed in decoration since the Sung dynasty.
Originally the vases were employed as oil lamps and fitted with ormolu bases in the oriental taste and oil reservoirs and burners. 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.