Vintage Brass Bouillotte Table Lamp, Red Tole Shade — French Style, circa 1950s

The bouillotte lamp takes its name from a French card game once played late into the evening, when a table needed steady light that wouldn't dazzle the players seated across from it. The solution was a pair of candles set low, beneath a shade that could slide up and down its central stem — raised for a bright table, lowered to soften the glare as the night wore on. The silhouette outlived the game itself, becoming one of the most enduring and recognizable forms in French lighting.

This lamp, French in style and circa 1950s, carries that silhouette faithfully. Two brass sockets rise from a rectangular base finished with a beaded edge and set on four small feet, and a red tole shade — painted metal trimmed in gold — slides along the central stem exactly as the original design intended. Note how the shade's height adjusts independently of the bulbs beneath it, the mechanical detail that separates a true working bouillotte lamp from a fixed-shade lookalike; a small piece of period function still doing its job today. Each socket takes a standard E14 bulb, compatible with LED or incandescent.

Whoever kept this lamp lit before you kept it well. The brass and tole both carry honest wear consistent with age and regular use. It is ready for a desk, a console, or a study shelf, casting exactly the low, warm light it was designed to give.

It arrives professionally packed and fully insured — 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: 44 cm (17.3 in) · Width: 28 cm (11 in) · Depth: 19 cm (7.5 in)
Materials: solid brass, painted tole (metal) shade
Electrical: 2 × E14 fittings, LED or incandescent compatible; bulbs not included
Condition: good vintage condition; honest wear consistent with age

Condition details available on request.

Electrical details available on request.

Shipping details available on request.

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Provenance details available on request.