Double-Plated Lamp
Medium
Cobalt blue, opaque white, and clear glass, gilt bronze, and marble
Dimensions
H.: 97.8 cm (38 1/2 in.)
Classification
lamp (lighting device)
Department
Arts of the Americas
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
131880
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This kerosene-fueled lamp exemplifies the growing taste for brilliant color and elaborate surface decoration in mid-19th century lighting. The Boston and Sandwich Glass Company produced a variety of lamps and other objects of cased and cut glass. Here, clear, white, and blue glass have been layered and then cut to create an intricate design. When illuminated, the distinctive glass casts patterns of light within a room. This technique was developed by glassworkers from Bohemia (a historic region ...