Superb Pair Of Ceramic Imari Pattern Oil Lamps

A superb and beautiful pair of ceramic Imari pattern oil lamps circa 1880. At first glance they appear to be a matching pair but there are a few small subtle differences to slightly differentiate them.

These lamps are a rare find and were covered with the grime of ages when I purchased them. They are now thoroughly clean and all the dirty thick black Victorian laquer has been removed from the brasswork. I find them to be in tip top condition with no signs that the burners have ever been used - apart from the initial showroom burn to stop fraying.

They are not drop in lamps and the metal founts are securely connected to the bases through the ceramic centrepieces.

The Kosmos burners are interesting. They have 'Patent Brevete' stamped into the top of the wick holders. The wick winders give a much more exciting and satisfactory clue though. They have Kosmos embossed at the top and under this are the initials WW which stand for 'Wild & Wessel, Berlin', considered one of the most prestigeous manufacturers in Europe and inventors of the Kosmos burner. Also their ships cord logo can be seen at the back of the wick winders. So, as the French Brevete patent system is on the burners it looks like they were manufactured by Wild & Wessel for the French market.

No clues, however, as to who made the really nice quality ceramic parts for Wild & Wessel though apart from the number 12 stamped into the base of one of them. This is not unusual though amongst oil lamp manufacturers who didn't like to confuse customers with more than one name to return to!

A lovely oil lamp pair in good working order.

Height to top of chimney 23”

Weight for each lamp (empty) approx 2055g

Order number C179

Price for both lamps £767 UK pounds sterling + £22 delivery within the UK

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note  personal inspection and collection of these lamp would be welcome