The cassolette began life as a perfume burner — a squat, footed urn shape the neoclassical decorators of the late eighteenth century borrowed for anything that needed to sit still on a mantel and look considered. By the nineteenth century the form had spread far beyond its original use, turning up as garniture, as inkstands, and — as here — as the body for a lamp.
This pair keeps the classic profile: a broad tazza-shaped bowl above a turned baluster stem, widening into a stepped socle. The black marble carries a single inset band in a veined beige-and-cream stone at the base of the socle — a contrast strip let into the turning rather than painted or applied, the kind of detail that separates a piece actually turned on a lathe from one cast to resemble it. Both lamps were later wired for electricity, with brass mounts fitted through the bowl.
The pair has been kept together and matches closely, with a few small chips to the marble edges and nothing beyond that at a glance. Set either side of a sofa or along a console, the black body reads quietly against most finishes.
Each item is carefully and professionally packed and fully insured for worldwide shipping. All applicable tariffs and import duties are included in the price, so you will not be charged any additional fees on delivery. Returns are accepted within 30 days.
Details
Height: 27 cm (10.6 in) — roughly the height of a wine bottle
Base width: 15.5 cm (6.1 in)
Marble, with brass electrical mounts; wired for E-fitting bulbs, European standard
Condition: antique condition; small chips to marble edges; wiring untested
Please note the lampshade is not included.
