Antique Lamps with a Royal Story

The importance of interior lighting is an undisputed fact with the table lamp making a major contribution.  

The illumination of a room, hall or living space, is only half the story, for a lamp, when viewed as more than "just lighting" can serve, along with pictures and antiques, not only as a work of art, but a functional work of art, offering visual pleasure while fulfilling a most practical role.

We have before us today, a very wide range of shapes and styles from which to choose, from the antique and traditional to space age minimalism. 

When speaking specifically of antique lamps, replacement value is an interesting point and one very often overlooked.  The following pair of lamps with their formal description is a fine example:-

A finely carved pair of French, 19th century,
lime washed, portrait, fruit wood busts as lamps.
The subjects are, Louis-Auguste Dauphin of France and
Marie Antoinette, Archduchess of Austria.

Louis is shown as a handsome young man of 15.
He wears a short, side curled, powdered wig,
tied at the back of the neck with a large silk bow.
At his throat is a tied linen cravat, or, stock, a stiffened linen neck cloth.
Across his right shoulder he wears the Sash of the Order of the Holy Spirit.
The Order was worn suspended from a
sky blue, silk moiré ribbon, Le Cordon Bleu.

On his left breast he wears The Order,
a gold Maltese cross with white borders,
each of the eight points ending in a gold ball
with a gold fleur-de-lys between each of its arms.
At the centre of the cross, is set a white dove descending.

Marie Antoinette is shown as a pretty, young bride of 14,
her hair dressed with roses.
Marie Antoinette was an Austrian Hapsburg Archduchess
and roses were the symbol of her Austrian heritage.
Recall her famous 1783 portrait, Marie Antoinette with the Rose,
painted by Vigee Lebrun who painted 30 portraits of the Queen,
most including her signature flower, the rose.

These elegant busts on a short socle and
standing on custom made, faux marble, circular bases.

The busts depict the couple at the time of their marriage
on the 16th of May, 1770,
Louis aged 15 and Marie Antoinette 14.
On the day of her marriage to Louis-Auguste,
Marie Antoinette became Dauphine de France.

At the death of Louis XV, in May 1774, his son, Louis-Auguste,

ascended the French throne as Louis XVI. He was 19.
Marie Antoinette assumed the title of Queen of France and Navarre.

Circa 1880           Overall height (including shades) 30" / 76cm

Some antique lamps have a story to tell and the couples portrayed here, of course, are the ill-fated Louis XVI of France and his Queen, Marie Antoinette.  

Many and varied are the "causes" of the French revolution, but one thing is no longer in dispute and that is that the monarch was seen to stand for every thing that was wrong with France toward the close of the 18th century.  At the time, the Royal Family was seen as the great symbol for the problems facing French society.

Today, modern French history has revaluated the role of the Bourbon monarchy and the attitude is one of recognizing that the monarch was the scapegoat for the pent up frustration and anger of France. 

During the Reign of Terror, at the height of the French Revolution, Louis XVI was deposed and the royal family imprisoned.  Marie Antoinette was tried, convicted of treason and executed by guillotine on the 16th October, 1793, nine months after the King.

Not only do we need to be aware of the story portrayed by these lamps, but we also need to consider the possibility of repeating this artistic achievement today.  

These busts were carved over one hundred years ago and would have cost what would now be seen as a trifling amount of money. If we were magically able to ask the artist to repeat this work, I believe we would be quite shocked at the cost!  This of course, is assuming that a woodcarver with a level of skill required could be found - another saga all of its own.  This is usually when the "how could I replace these?" penny drops!

 In summary, quality antiques such as these will never be as reasonably priced as they are today!  It has been said that when you consider purchasing a mass produced, newly made item, comparing its quality, price & likely depreciation value, "antiques are cheap".

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