Antique French Empire Style Bronze and Onyx Table LampAthénienne with Ram's Head Mounts — France, Early 20th Century
Delivered free · US duties paid · Insured
The athénienne — a tripod vessel raised on three legs, derived from the ancient Greek sacrificial stand — entered French decorative arts in the 1770s and never entirely left. Designed by the architect Jean-Henri Eberts and popularised in the neoclassical interiors of the Louis XVI and Empire periods, its form was the period's most direct quotation from antiquity: three legs ending in animal feet, a central body of contrasting stone or metal, and mounts that drew on the full vocabulary of the
Height 23 cm (9.1 in) to socket · Base span 10 cm (3.9 in)
Worldwide shipping included. No import charges for EU and US buyers.
Local import taxes may apply outside the EU and the US.
Electrical details: Before dispatch, our workshop will inspect and test the electrical system, with rewiring and replacement fittings where needed. Delivered working and ready to use.
Prepared for you in 1–2 weeks. Most pieces ship within a week.
For Christmas delivery, order by 1 December.
Estimated delivery:
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- Free shippingTracked and fully insured
- US duties paidNothing to pay at delivery
- 30-day returnsNo reason needed
- 4.9 / 5 rating47 reviews on Etsy
Before you ask
Will it work in my home?
Choose your plug type above: table lamps arrive with that plug, ready to use. Wall and ceiling lights are connected by an electrician. Every light is checked before it leaves; the details for this piece are under “Condition & electrical details”.
Will I pay import duties or tariffs?
No. I pay the US import duties and tariffs, so there is nothing to pay on delivery.
What if it arrives damaged?
Every piece is packed individually and fully insured. Send me a photo of the piece and the box, and I handle the claim with the carrier and agree the solution with you.
What if it doesn't suit my room?
You have 30 days to return it, no reason needed. For a change of mind, you pay the return shipping. How returns work
Lighting delivered in working order; see electrical details.
Antique French Empire Style Bronze and Onyx Table Lamp, Athénienne with Ram's Head Mounts — France, Early 20th Century
- Period
- French Empire style, early 20th century
- Materials
- green-grey onyx body with amber veining; gilt bronze tripod mounts, ram's head shoulders and lion-paw feet; chased bronze collar and socket fitting
- Dimensions
- Height 23 cm (9.1 in) to socket · Base span 10 cm (3.9 in)
DETAILS:
Size: Height 23 cm (9.1 in) to socket · Base span 10 cm (3.9 in)
Material: green-grey onyx body with amber veining; gilt bronze tripod mounts, ram's head shoulders and lion-paw feet; chased bronze collar and socket fitting
Style/Period: French Empire style, early 20th century
Weight: 1.250 kg (2.8 lb)
Sockets: one — inspected and tested before dispatch, rewired where needed, and delivered working and ready to use; plug adapted to your country (US/UK/EU) at no extra charge
Lampshades: not included
Shipping: professionally packed, fully insured, worldwide
Condition: very good; onyx unchipped and sound; bronze mounts firm and well fitted; base sits flat
Returns: accepted within 30 days
Before dispatch, our workshop will inspect and test the electrical system, with rewiring and replacement fittings where needed. Delivered working and ready to use.
The athénienne — a tripod vessel raised on three legs, derived from the ancient Greek sacrificial stand — entered French decorative arts in the 1770s and never entirely left. Designed by the architect Jean-Henri Eberts and popularised in the neoclassical interiors of the Louis XVI and Empire periods, its form was the period's most direct quotation from antiquity: three legs ending in animal feet, a central body of contrasting stone or metal, and mounts that drew on the full vocabulary of the ancient world. The ram's head, emblem of sacrifice and strength, was one of the athénienne's characteristic ornaments — appearing at the junction of body and legs in exactly the position it occupies here, where the classical goldsmith would have placed it.
This lamp is French, early twentieth century, in the Empire manner, combining an ovoid onyx body — green-grey, veined with amber and rust — with gilt bronze mounts of the highest finish. Three scrolled legs, each headed with a ram's mask at the shoulder, descend from the body to lion-paw feet on a trilobed platform base, the whole construction giving the lamp its characteristic athénienne silhouette: wide at the base, narrow at the waist, expanding again into the stone body. The onyx is the piece's visual centre — note how the stone shifts from grey-green at the top to a warmer amber-rust at the lower half, the natural banding of the mineral that no two examples share, and the detail that makes every onyx lamp a unique object. Above the stone, a chased bronze collar enriched with a running leaf frieze carries the socket. The gilt bronze is warm and even throughout.
Whoever kept this lamp before you preserved both the stone and the bronze in excellent order across more than a century. The onyx is unchipped; the bronze mounts are firm and well fitted; the base sits flat and stable. It arrives inspected and tested before dispatch, rewired where needed, and delivered working and ready to use, plug adapted to your country at no charge — ready for a desk, a library console, or a side table that can carry its presence.
It arrives professionally packed and fully insured. Returns are accepted within 30 days.
Condition & electrical details
Condition
Electrical details
Read our condition standard. Please ask if you need additional photographs or measurements.
A decorative style is not a guarantee of a particular maker or date. See the individual listing for the stated attribution and period.
Shipping, insurance & duties
Worldwide delivery is included in the price. Every piece is individually packed, tracked and fully insured. No shipping charge is added at checkout. If your destination is not listed, please contact us before ordering.
European Union: no customs and no import charges. Delivery usually takes 2–5 working days after dispatch.
United States: Maison Jaspers pays the tariffs and import duties for you.
United Kingdom: UK import VAT is payable on delivery (5% for antiques over 100 years old, otherwise 20%).
Other destinations: local import taxes may apply and are payable by the recipient. Contact us before ordering if you would like guidance.
Dispatch timing is shown above.
Returns
Notify us within 30 days of delivery if you wish to return a piece. No reason is required. Returns are free within the Netherlands and Belgium; from elsewhere you pay return shipping for a change-of-mind return.
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