Antique Silver-Plated Table Lamp, Etched Glass Globe Shade, Converted Oil Lamp — Europe, Late 19th Century

The converted oil lamp is one of the most satisfying objects in the antique lighting market. It began its life in the late nineteenth century as a functional instrument — kerosene or petroleum oil feeding a wick mechanism that produced a steady, warm flame — and the manufacturers of the period dressed these functional objects with the full decorative vocabulary of the age: silvered bodies chased with egg-and-dart borders, cylindrical reservoirs on claw feet, burner mechanisms with their original adjustment screws and chimneys. When electrification arrived, the best of these lamps were converted rather than discarded, because the bodies were too well made and the glass globes too beautiful to abandon.

This lamp is European, late nineteenth century, the body a cylindrical silvered metal reservoir raised on three claw feet with a beaded plinth, the surface chased at the upper collar with an egg-and-dart frieze and fitted with the original burner mechanism — adjustment pin, wick collar, and chimney ring — all present and intact as decorative elements, the lamp now electrified above. The frosted glass globe is the piece's centrepiece: a full sphere in acid-etched glass, its surface covered with a continuous scrolling acanthus and foliate design — the leaves and tendrils drawn in polished clear glass against the frosted ground, the contrast between the clear and frosted surfaces giving the etched pattern its depth and legibility. Note how the acanthus scrolls are not symmetrically repeated but shift and overlap as they travel around the globe — the hand of an engraver working freely rather than a mechanical transfer, the detail that makes each globe unique. When lit from within, the frosted ground glows evenly while the etched design reads as a pattern of light and shade.

The silvered body is sound and bright; the globe is intact without chips or cracks; the original mechanism details are all present. At 58 cm this is a lamp with genuine presence — ready for a desk, a library console, or a side table that can carry its scale.

It arrives professionally packed and fully insured. All duties and import charges are our responsibility — you pay nothing beyond the listed price. Returns are accepted within 30 days.

DETAILS:
Size: Height 58 cm (22.8 in)
Material: silvered metal body with claw feet and chased collar; original burner mechanism retained decoratively; frosted acid-etched glass globe
Style/Period: European, late 19th century — converted oil lamp
Sockets: one — fully rewired and ready to use; plug adapted to your country (US/UK/EU) at no extra charge
Lampshades: original etched glass globe included
Shipping: professionally packed, fully insured, worldwide — all import duties paid by us, nothing to settle on delivery
Condition: very good; silvered body bright and sound; globe intact with no chips or cracks; original mechanism details present
Returns: accepted within 30 days

Read our condition standard. Please ask if you need additional photographs or measurements.

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.

Maison Jaspers pays US tariffs and import duties. For other destinations, local import taxes and duties may apply and are payable by the recipient. Contact us before ordering if you need destination-specific guidance.

Dispatch timing is shown above. Transit time depends on your destination.

Delivery information

Notify us within 30 days of delivery if you wish to return a piece. No reason is required. You pay return shipping for a change-of-mind return.

Return instructions and your consumer rights