Antique Lamps

Earliest Antique Lamps

Up until the spread of gas lighting and then of electricity, all lamps operated on the same principle: a reservoir to hold oil and a wick to control how quickly it burned. Probably the first lamp was invented when somebody noticed that oil-saturated fabric can burn steadily over a long period of time.

The earliest examples were made of clay and shaped by hand. These are prevalent through the Bronze and Iron Ages up through the Greek period (around the 6th century BC), During the Greek period through the Middle Ages, they were made from molds as well as by hand. The first metal lamps appeared around the first century AD. The very earliest examples are generally plain, but later pieces became much more elaborate. The bodies were often shaped like human or other figures and the decoration became much more ornate.

Antique lamps from the ancient Middle East, Greek, Rome, and the Middle Ages are legally available for sale in most countries. Prices start around $150 but can go up to several thousands for rare pieces or ones with especially desirable decoration. However, fakes are everywhere and many are hard to detect unless you know the subject well. A reliable store or auction house is a good starting point, though nothing substitutes for knowledge.

Middle Ages through 18th Century

Over the years, lamp designs became more refined and as the craft of glass-blowing spread, the flames were shielded from drafts and the risk of fire was reduced by adding glass shields. Metal had replaced pottery or ceramic bodies. However, lamps were still more common in areas where oil was plentiful (olive oil in the Middle East and Mediterranean, fish oils in other areas); in most countries, candles made of tallow or other fats dominated.

The crusie lamp was probably invented during the 1600s. Because wicks drew up oil faster than it could burn, they dripped and wasted oil. The crusie lamp had a second reservoir to catch these drippings. During the 1700s, an inventor came up with an improvement that allowed oil from the wick to drip back into the reservoir, saving what was otherwise wasted and making oil lamps much more economical. It also included a cover to reduce spills and control the oil. This design, the “betty lamp,” (from the German for “better”) is one of the most popular antique lamps. The next major improvement was the central draft lamp, invented in 1780 by Aime Argand, which used a cylindrical wick and chimney to maximize air flow around the wick, thus making the light brighter, and also included a mechanism for easily raising or lowering the wick to make it burn more or less.

These early antique lamps are typically available for around $100-$200 dollars, depending on design, materials, and condition.

Gas Lights, Kerosene, and Electric Lamps

The invention of gas lighting in the early 1800s and of kerosene in 1853 virtually wiped out the use of candles as lighting devices. Gas lamp fixtures are frequently converted into electric lighting today, as are kerosene lamps. Electric lighting surpassed both of these at the beginning of the 20th century.

As the arts of glass molding and metalwork became more advanced and fuels like gas, kerosene, and electricity became abundant, lamps became much more decorative and no longer had to be designed just to maximize efficient oil use. Lamp shades and painted glass bulbs softened light and added color.

Some of the most popular designs for kerosene lamps included student lamps, which had swing arms and were designed to transmit the most light possible for reading by putting the kerosene reservoir out of the way of the actual lamp; banquet lamps which featured an upper and a lower globe, usually painted; Rayo lights, one of the most common central draft designs for kerosene lamps; and Tiffany lamps, which featured shades made out of stained glass. Louis Comfort Tiffany was inspired to create these by the small pieces of broken glass left over from making stained glass windows. The Tiffany lamp revolutionized interior lighting and some of his original designs are still sold today.

These later lamps are typically more expensive than earlier ones. Original early Tiffany lamps cost hundreds of thousands, occasionally millions for rare designs. Banquet lamps with the original bulbs usually cost from $200 to $800, with some rare specimens selling for considerably more. Student lamps and Rayo lamps can still be purchased for around $100.