Antique Onyx Column Lamp, Fire-Gilt Chased Bronze Corinthian Capital — French, 19th Century

Through the nineteenth century, French decorators borrowed freely from classical architecture to dress the objects of daily life, and the column was among their favorite forms to shrink down to table scale. A lamp built as a miniature column let a room hold a fragment of temple or palace on its desk — solid stone, capped in gilt bronze, doing an entirely modern job while looking as if it had stood since antiquity.

This lamp, French, nineteenth century, follows that classical vocabulary closely. A solid onyx column, its surface moving between pale green and warm veining, rises from a stepped onyx plinth and is crowned with a fire-gilt, chased bronze capital in the Corinthian order — acanthus leaves and scrolled volutes worked in relief. Note how the chasing sharpens each leaf's edge and vein individually rather than leaving the casting as it came from the mold, the hand-tooling that separates fire-gilt, chased bronze from a simpler cast-and-polished finish; it's what gives the capital its crisp, sculptural definition even after more than a century. A brass collar with a laurel-leaf band joins the column to its plinth below.

Whoever kept this lamp lit before you kept it well. The onyx and bronze both show minor, honest wear to the base consistent with age and normal use, with the natural movement of the stone fully intact. It is ready for a desk, a library table, or a console.

It arrives professionally packed and fully insured, with protective materials chosen specifically for antique lighting — we handle the paperwork and worldwide shipping, and we fit the plug to your country (US, UK, or EU) at no extra charge. Returns are accepted within 30 days.

DETAILS:
Height: 46 cm (18.1 in) · Width: 25 cm (9.8 in) — roughly the height of a wine bottle
Materials: onyx, fire-gilt chased bronze
Electrical: fitted with cord and inline switch; plug adapted to your country at no charge
Condition: very good antique condition; minor wear to the base consistent with age

Condition details available on request.

Electrical details available on request.

Shipping details available on request.

Please see our returns policy.

Provenance details available on request.