Dear Helaine and Joe:
Any ideas about what this lamp might be worth? It belonged to my grandmother back in the 1920s. Any help would be appreciated.
Thank you,
W. S.
Dear W. S.:
If you happen to be noodling around the Internet, it is probable you have seen similar lamps referred to as being “art deco.” In popular parlance, we suppose this piece could be called that. But we are sticklers and we have a small problem with that terminology, which is much too often used and is a sort of catch-all buzz phrase.
In actuality, the term art deco was not in wide usage until the late 1960s, but it refers to a decorative style incorporating bold colors, zigzagging and parallel lines and geometric florals, as well as athletic male figures and female flappers. But the roots of art deco go back to 1909 and the bold scenery associated with the first appearance of Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes in Paris.
World War I got in the way of the development of the style, but over time, European designers began supplanting the art nouveau style with its sensuous curves and tendrils with a more modern style that either featured a lush depiction of stylized fruit, flowers and animals or took a more industrial approach with straight, clean lines, squares, rectangles, chrome, glass and no nonsense.
The icon of the first type of art deco we mentioned was the flapper with bobbed hair and scant clothing who danced with the moon as if it were a beach ball. The most important showcase for the style was the 1925 Paris Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs (thus the English designation, art deco).
This was a luxury style, a style espoused by artists, and it had a very short run. By the late 1920s or early ’30s, it was no longer in vogue and had been replaced by similar styles that were mass-produced and lacking in any real artistic soul (in our jaundiced opinion).
The lamp in today’s question is from this later time frame. The lamp itself is poorly cast from either iron or pot metal (instead of bronze), and the two figures are so lacking in detail that it is hard to tell exactly what they are. Both figures appear to be female and are dressed in similar bathing costumes that would have been popular during the late 1920s-30s period.
They may represent mother and daughter with one comforting another, but it is also possible they are a second quarter of the 20th century interpretation of a mythological subject. Unfortunately, we cannot be sure because of the lack of detail in the figures.
Looking at the metal, the surface seems to be degraded and we are not sure if the amethyst slag glass backing the original or a replacement. Unfortunately, a thorough in-person examination by a specialist would be necessary to determine the exact condition of this piece.
As it is, if the glass is original and the finish is not too unsightly, the insurance replacement value would be in the range of $800 to $1,000, but if the glass is a replacement and the surface is not attractive, the value would go down to between $350 and $500.
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Helaine Fendelman and Joe Rosson have written a number of books on antiques. Do you have an item you'd like to know more about? Contact them at Joe Rosson, 2504 Seymour Ave., Knoxville, TN 37917, or email them at treasures@knology.net. If you'd like your question to be considered for their column, please include a high-resolution photo of the subject, which must be in focus, with your inquiry.
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