Floor Lamp
Maker
R. Hollings and Company
(American, 1854 - 1911)
Date1886
MediumBrass, bronze, silver plate, earthenware, glass, replacement burner
DimensionsOverall: 66 x 21 1/4 x 21 1/4in. (167.6 x 54 x 54cm)
ClassificationsFURNISHINGS
Credit LineMuseum purchase, in part with funds from Jane B. Sayre Bryant and David E. Bryant in memory of the Sayre Family
Object number2001.25
DescriptionLamp base in the form of 3 cranes, mounted with gold-toned ceramic rondels. Oil reserve (below burner) with overall floral pattern, and above 3 cast and applied bird heads with open beaks, some ceramic medalians w/ Dish between burner and oil resevoir impressedOn View
On viewCollections
Copyright<a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/"><img alt="Creative Commons License" style="border-width:0" src="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc/4.0/80x15.png" /></a><br />This work is licensed under a <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License</a>.
Label TextIn 1886, the trade magazine The Decorator and Furnisher described R. Hollings & Company as embracing "every thing desirable in the lamp trade in brass, bronze, silver and pottery." Like most lighting manufacturers of the period, R. Hollings expanded its retail line to include other wares such as fireplace furnishings and imported goods including hammered brass from Antwerp and French mirrors, sconces, and candlesticks.
On this lamp, three figural legs marked by bowed heron heads at the top and resting on splayed bird feet support a wave-patterned central brass pole. Japanese art, which embraces herons and cranes as representations of longevity and happiness, may have inspired the bird imagery on the lamp. The circular earthenware tiles, patented in 1886 by J and J. G. Low Art Tile Works of Chelsea, Massachusetts, complement the brass color of the lamp and enrich its visual complexity.
