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Hand Held Lanterns

1954 English Ship's Signal Lantern by Davey
1954 English Ship's Signal Lantern by Davey

1954 English Ship's Signal Lantern by Davey

Located in Norwell, MA

This is a hand held copper Signal lantern with Fresnel lens and a thumb operated shutter to send messages.

Category

Vintage 1950s Lanterns

Matali Crasset Nomade Led Floor or Table Light
Matali Crasset Nomade Led Floor or Table Light

Matali Crasset Nomade Led Floor or Table Light

By Matali Crasset

Located in London, GB

Crasset took inspiration from classic hand-held railway lanterns for the design. "I've always been interested in different types of transport and been fascinated by how magical it m...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary French Table Lamps

Materials

Wire

Recent Sales

Early Paul Revere-Style Pierced Tin Lantern
Early Paul Revere-Style Pierced Tin Lantern

Early Paul Revere-Style Pierced Tin Lantern

Located in San Francisco, CA

A beautiful hand-held three-pane lantern decorated in an intricate pierced pattern (see detail shots).

Category

American Lanterns

Materials

Glass

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Hand Held Lanterns For Sale on 1stDibs

Find a variety of hand held lanterns available on 1stDibs. The range of distinct hand held lanterns — often made from metal, glass and bronze — can elevate any home. Hand held lanterns have been made for many years, and versions that date back to the 19th Century alongside those produced as recently as the 21st Century. Art Deco, Arts and Crafts and Louis XVI hand held lanterns are consistently popular styles. Many hand held lanterns are appealing in their simplicity, but Jean Noverdy and Matali Crasset produced popular hand held lanterns that are worth a look.

How Much are Hand Held Lanterns?

Prices for hand held lanterns can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — at 1stDibs, hand held lanterns begin at $497 and can go as high as $30,000, while the average can fetch as much as $991.

Finding the Right Lighting for You

The right table lamp, outwardly sculptural chandelier or understated wall pendant can work wonders for your home. While we’re indebted to thinkers like Thomas Edison for critically important advancements in lighting and electricity, we’re still finding new ways to customize illumination to fit our personal spaces all these years later. A wide range of antique and vintage lighting can be found on 1stDibs.

Today, lighting designers like the self-taught Bec Brittain have used the flexible structure of LEDs to craft glamorous solutions by working with what is typically considered a harsh lighting source. By integrating glass and mirrors, reflection can be used to soften the glow from LEDs and warmly welcome light into any space.

Although contemporary innovators continue to impress, some of the classics can’t be beat. 

Just as gazing at the stars allows you to glimpse the universe’s past, vintage chandeliers like those designed by Gino Sarfatti and J. & L. Lobmeyr, for example, put on a similarly stunning show, each with a rich story to tell.

As dazzling as it is, the Arco lamp, on the other hand, prioritizes functionality — it’s wholly mobile, no drilling required. Designed in 1962 by architect-product designers Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, the piece takes the traditional form of a streetlamp and creates an elegant, arching floor fixture for at-home use.

There is no shortage of modernist lighting similarly prized by collectors and casual enthusiasts alike — there are Art Deco table lamps created in a universally appreciated style, the Tripod floor lamp by T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings, Greta Magnusson Grossman's sleek and minimalist Grasshopper lamps and, of course, the wealth of mid-century experimental lighting that emerged from Italian artisans at Arredoluce, FLOS and many more are hallmarks in illumination innovation

With decades of design evolution behind it, home lighting is no longer just practical. Crystalline shaping by designers like Gabriel Scott turns every lighting apparatus into a luxury accessory. A new installation doesn’t merely showcase a space; carefully chosen ceiling lights, table lamps and floor lamps can create a mood, spotlight a favorite piece or highlight your unique personality.

The sparkle that your space has been missing is waiting for you amid the growing collection of antique, vintage and contemporary lighting for sale on 1stDibs.