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Ormolu Table Lamps

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Material: Ormolu
Creator: Theodore Deck
Pair of French Theodore Deck Ormolu-Mounted Celadon Porcelain Lamps
Located in New York, NY
A Pair of French Theodore Deck ( 1823-1891) Ormolu-Mounted Celadon Porcelain Lamps, circa 1870. A very elegant pair of celadon green porcelain lamps in the Chinese taste, mounted ...
Category

19th Century French Antique Ormolu Table Lamps

Materials

Ormolu

Pair of Gilt Bronze Mounted Faience Lamps by Deck
Located in London, GB
These beautiful table lamps are by Théodore deck, one of the most important ceramicists of the 19th Century, and Gagneau Frères, a leading bronzier. Deck was the director of a presti...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Ormolu Table Lamps

Materials

Ormolu, Bronze

Pair of Théodore Deck Enamelled Faience Iznik Vases Ormolu-Mounted in Lamps
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Théodore Deck (1823-1891) Pair of Enamelled Faience Vases Ormolu-Mounted in Lamps Bodies treated in the Iznik style with blue enamelled decoration on a white background of Kufic writ...
Category

1870s French Islamic Antique Ormolu Table Lamps

Materials

Ormolu

Pair of Théodore Deck Celadon Enamelled Faience Vases Ormolu-Mounted in Lamps
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Theodore Deck ( 1823-1891). A pair of gilt-bronze mounted theodore deck faience celadon-ground vases, mounted as lamps. Each decorated in the Chinese taste, with flower-head medallions within foliate scrollwork. Very fine Ormolu mounts quality and original gilding in great condition, the pierced bases with beast-mask monopodia feet. Impressed THD Monogram mark The oil-lamp Fitments Signed Gagneau Circa 1875 With Its original glass globes (chips and crack) and tubes fitted for electricity 12 ½ in. (31.8 cm.) high, the ceramic vases only Theodore Deck (1823-1891) is a French ceramist born in Guebwiller in Alsace. He is passionate about chemistry and the physical sciences. In 1841, he joined the master stove maker Hügelin father as an apprentice in Strasbourg. In two years, he learned of the methods inherited from the 16th century, such as the encrustation of colored pastes in the style of Saint-Porchaire. This apprenticeship did not prevent him from spending his free time drawing or modeling clay in the studio of sculptor André Friederich. Escaping military service, he made a tour of Germany as is the tradition with fellow Alsatian stove-makers. The quality of his work allows him to obtain important orders in Austria for the castles of the provinces and the imperial palaces, in particular for the palace of Schönbrunn. He continues his journey in Hungary to Pest, to Prague, then, going north through Dresden, Leipzig, Berlin and Hamburg. On the strength of his apprenticeship, he arrived in Paris in 1847. Recommended by Hügelin, he went to the stove factory of the Bavarian potter Vogt, located rue de la Roquette. The Revolution of 1848 interrupts production and Deck decides to return to his hometown. His family then advised him to set up a small terracotta workshop: he made a few busts, statuettes, vases, lamps and copies of famous antiques there. Aware that this situation would not allow him to provide for himself properly, he returned to Paris in 1851 where he was employed by the widow Dumas, daughter of the earthenware maker Vogt for whom he had worked. Hired as a foreman, he supplied the drawings and models to the workers, while working the land himself. The following year, he made the decision to settle not far from his former employer at 20, rue de la Fontaine-au-Roi, probably using his ovens. His brother, Xavier Deck, joins him. It was officially in 1858 that the Deck brothers created their business and settled in Paris at 46, boulevard Saint-Jacques. Initially, the brothers only carry out coatings for stoves. But the business is going so well that barely a year after their installation, they want to diversify their production and engage in ceramics for the cladding of buildings as well as in shaped parts. Deck is interested in politics. In 1870, he opted for French nationality and was elected deputy mayor in the 15th arrondissement of Paris. In 1861, at the Salon des arts et industries de Paris, which was held on the Champs-Élysées, Théodore Deck exhibited his works for the first time: these were pieces with an inlay decoration called “Henri II” and others. pieces covered with turquoise blue enamel or decoration in the style of Iznik ceramics.If he wins a silver medal, reviews are mixed, however. The following year, on the occasion of the Universal Exhibition of 1862 in London, he won over English customers. He surprised by presenting, like the previous year, his Alhambra Vase...
Category

1870s French Chinoiserie Antique Ormolu Table Lamps

Materials

Ormolu

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Pair of French 19th Century Sèvres Porcelain and Ormolu Mounted Lamps
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
An elegant and high quality pair of French 19th century cobalt blue Sèvres porcelain and ormolu mounted lamps. Each lamp is raised by a fine square ormolu base with concave corners a...
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Pair of 19th Century Gilt-Bronze & Faience Porcelain Table Lamp Candelabras
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A fine pair of French 19th-20th century Louis XV style gilt bronze and Faience porcelain three-light candelabra table lamps. The ovoid porcelain urn hand decorated in floral burgundy...
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Ormolu, Bronze

Pair of Romantic Yellow Tole Urns Mounted as Lamps
Located in Kittery Point, ME
Each mounted as a lamp, the flaring top above a stepped square base, with a decor of antique scenes and symbols. Electrified. Measures: Height of urns only, 15in.; height overall, 29...
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19th Century French Romantic Antique Ormolu Table Lamps

Materials

Tôle

Pair of Neoclassical Patinated Bronze and Red Marble Urns Mounted as Lamps
Located in Kittery Point, ME
Each urn cast with frieze of classical figures, raised on a bronze-mounted rouge griotte square marble base. The lampshades are silk and custom made by Blanche Field...
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Late 19th Century French Neoclassical Antique Ormolu Table Lamps

Materials

Griotte Marble, Bronze

Chinese Celadon Bottle Vases Mounted Lamps, Pair
Located in New York, NY
Pair of Chinese celadon glazed ceramic porcelain bottle vases mounted as lamps, the vessels with incised scrolling floral decoration and ruyi borders, mounted with gilt brass on hard...
Category

Mid-20th Century Chinese Export Ormolu Table Lamps

Materials

Celadon

Pair of Ormolu-Mounted Mirror Black Porcelain Lamps
Located in New York, NY
Mirror black porcelain vase mounted with fine cast gilt bronze base. Measures: To the top of porcelain: 22" H. Base: 10.5" W x 10.5" D. To the top of porcelain: 21.5"/H (Lampshade do...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Ormolu Table Lamps

Materials

Rock Crystal

Pair of French Ormolu-Mounted Celadon Enamel Vases as Lamps
Located in Hanover, MA
SATURDAY SALE (1/18) Pair of celadon crystalline enamel vases as lamps with 19th century French ormolu ribbon and banding. Bases and caps are brass the color of bronze. Shades are...
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19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Ormolu Table Lamps

A Théodore Deck (1823-1891) Enamelled Faience Soliflore Vase circa 1875
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Théodore DECK (1823-1891) A polychromatic enamelled earthenware soliflore and quadrangular shape vase with Sino-Japanese inspiration design of flowers and geometrical friezes all around. Impressed uppercase mark "TH.DECK" under the base. Circa 1875 Born in Guebwiller in Alsace, Théodore Deck trained as a ceramist in his home region, then in Germany. He went into partnership with his brother, Xavier Deck, to create his own factory in Paris in 1858. At the Exhibition of Industrial Arts in 1864, he presented pieces covered with transparent enamels that were not cracked, and then made his first attempts at reliefs under transparent enamels. He developed a bright turquoise color, famously renowned as "Bleu Deck". It is this nuance that we find on the salamander represented on this vase. In 1887 he published a treatise entitled "La Faïence", in which he explained some of his discoveries. That same year, he became director of the Manufacture de Sèvres. Theodore Deck (1823-1891) is a French ceramist born in Guebwiller in Alsace. He is passionate about chemistry and the physical sciences. In 1841, he joined the master stove maker Hügelin father as an apprentice in Strasbourg. In two years, he learned of the methods inherited from the 16th century, such as the encrustation of colored pastes in the style of Saint-Porchaire. This apprenticeship did not prevent him from spending his free time draw-ing or modeling clay in the studio of sculptor André Friederich. Escaping military service, he made a tour of Germany as is the tradition with fellow Alsatian stove-makers. The quality of his work allows him to obtain important orders in Austria for the castles of the provinces and the imperial palaces, in particular for the palace of Schönbrunn. He continues his journey in Hungary to Pest, to Prague, then, going north through Dresden, Leipzig, Berlin and Hamburg. On the strength of his apprenticeship, he arrived in Paris in 1847. Recommended by Hügelin, he went to the stove factory of the Bavarian potter Vogt, located rue de la Roquette. The Revolution of 1848 interrupts production and Deck decides to return to his hometown. His family then advised him to set up a small terracotta workshop: he made a few busts, statuettes, vases, lamps and copies of famous antiques there. Aware that this situation would not allow him to provide for himself properly, he returned to Paris in 1851 where he was employed by the widow Dumas, daughter of the earthenware maker Vogt for whom he had worked. Hired as a foreman, he supplied the drawings and models to the workers, while working the land himself. The following year, he made the decision to settle not far from his former employer at 20, rue de la Fontaine-au-Roi, probably using his ovens. His brother, Xavier Deck, joins him. It was officially in 1858 that the Deck brothers created their business and settled in Paris at 46, boulevard Saint-Jacques. Initially, the brothers only carry out coatings for stoves. But the business is going so well that barely a year after their installation, they want to diversify their production and engage in ceramics for the cladding of buildings as well as in shaped parts. Deck is interested in politics. In 1870, he opted for French nationality and was elect-ed deputy mayor in the 15th arrondissement of Paris. In 1861, at the Salon des arts et industries de Paris, which was held on the Champs-Élysées, Théodore Deck exhibited his works for the first time: these were pieces with an inlay decoration called “Henri II” and others. pieces covered with turquoise blue enamel or decoration in the style of Iznik ceramics.If he wins a silver medal, reviews are mixed, however. The following year, on the occasion of the Universal Exhibition of 1862 in London, he won over English customers. He surprised by presenting, like the previous year, his Alhambra Vase...
Category

1870s French Japonisme Antique Ormolu Table Lamps

Materials

Faience

Delft Blue and White Chinoiserie Faience Vase Mounted as a Lamp
Located in Kittery Point, ME
17th Century Dutch Delft Octagonal Faience Vase mounted in brass and decorated with a chinoiserie décor of fighting warriors and exotic landscape. The dimensions indicated herein are those of the vase with the fittings and lampshade. The mounted vase only is approximately 10in. high and 7in. diameter. The arrival in Western Europe of the first shiploads of Chinese porcelain, lacquerware, ivory and silk in the 17th century stimulated interest in China, or Cathay, as it was then called. Europeans soon began copying the Chinese artworks and decorative objects. These decorative arts inspired by China, which enjoyed their heyday in the late 17th, 18th and early 19th centuries, are known as chinoiserie. Soon after the introduction of expensive Chinese...
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Late 17th Century Dutch Chinoiserie Antique Ormolu Table Lamps

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Faience

Pair of Celadon Porcelain Oil Lamps
Located in New York, NY
Celadon porcelain vase shaped base with faux bamboo and Chinese inspired designs. Mounted with gilt bronze bases and oil lamp fitting. Now electrified featuring new wiring with Ediso...
Category

1880s French Antique Ormolu Table Lamps

Materials

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Pair of Chinese Celadon Longquan Vase Lamps
Located in London, GB
A pair of Chinese Longquan ware vases in light-green celadon glaze, of the 12th–14th century Song or Yuan dynasty style. Fitted as lamps on gilt turned circular bases. Vases China, early to mid-20th century. The vases have the traditional pear-shaped bodies raised on slightly spreading feet, the waisted and flaring necks applied with two C-shaped dragon handles suspending large fixed rings, covered overall with a bluish-green glaze thinning to white at the edges and around the moulded peony scroll decoration. Why we like them We love the exquisite, individually hand-moulded decoration and the gentle colour of the glaze, in perfect harmony with the the flowing shape of the vases. History and Design Made in porcelain with raised moulded decoration under celadon glaze, and traditionally referred to as the Longquan ware, the design of these vases dates back to the 10th–14th century. Longquan celadon refers to ceramics produced in large kilns in Longquan, Jincun and other sites in Zhejiang Province on the east China seaboard as well as ceramics made elsewhere using the same techniques. The making of Longquan celadon dates back to the Northern Song...
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20th Century Chinese Qing Ormolu Table Lamps

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Porcelain

Previously Available Items
Pair of French Theodore Deck Ormolu-Mounted Celadon Porcelain Lamps
Located in New York, NY
A Pair of French Theodore Deck ( 1823-1891) Ormolu-Mounted Celadon Porcelain Lamps, circa 1870. A very elegant pair of celadon green porcelain lamps in the Chinese taste, mounted ...
Category

19th Century French Antique Ormolu Table Lamps

Materials

Ormolu

Pair of Théodore Deck Lizards Vases Ormolu-Mounted in Lamps
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Théodore Deck (1823-1891) A pair of Lizards vases ormolu-mounted in lamps Enamelled Faïence vases with Aubergine background imitating basketry, Adorned w...
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1870s French Chinoiserie Antique Ormolu Table Lamps

Materials

Bronze, Ormolu

Theodore Deck Faience Enameled Vase Ormolu-Mounted in Lamp, circa 1880
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
An ormolu-mounted Theodore Deck (1823-1891) celadon enameled faience vase mounted in table lamp, circa 1880, Bottle form, molded with scrolling lotus,...
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1880s French Chinoiserie Antique Ormolu Table Lamps

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Ormolu

A Theodore Deck Celadon Enamelled Faience Vase Ormolu-Mounted in Lamp
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
A Theodore Deck (1823-1891) Celadon Enamelled Faience Vase Ormolu-Mounted in Lamp circa 1870. The neck adorned with two symmetrical elephant heads han...
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1870s French Japonisme Antique Ormolu Table Lamps

Materials

Ormolu

Pair of French Turquoise Faience Lamps by Theodore Deck, in the Persian Style
Located in London, GB
These truly stunning lamps are crafted in faience (tin-glazed pottery) in the Persian style, and are mounted with gilt bronze. They are set upon circular, gilt bronze bases which fea...
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Late 19th Century French Islamic Antique Ormolu Table Lamps

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Ormolu

Antique Ormolu Table Lamps and Other Ormolu Lighting for Sale on 1stDibs

Able to double as task lighting, table lamps can illuminate darker corners of a room, and antique ormolu table lamps and other ormolu lighting can be incorporated into a variety of spaces.

Your style of decorating doesn't have to necessarily have to be rooted in neoclassical design in order to tastefully introduce ormolu — while demand for the material and/or technique was at its peak in Europe during the 18th and 19th centuries, ormolu table lamps, desk lamps and other ormolu furniture and decor are still widely loved by contemporary designers and collectors.

What is ormolu?

Ormolu is a brilliant form of decorative trickery. To the untrained eye, ormolu table lamps, clocks, jewelry boxes and other ormolu furniture and decor look like they're made of solid gold. But those in the know recognize ormolu — or elaborate bronze gilding — as having been essential to French design in the 18th and 19th centuries as a cornerstone of the neoclassical and Empire styles.

“Most commonly, ormolu refers to a bronze object that has been covered with gold, typically 18 karat or 24 karat,” explains Jamie Sinai, director of the antiques specialist Mayfair Gallery, in London. “For that reason, ormolu is sometimes called gilt bronze or, in French, bronze doré. Strictly speaking, however, the term ormolu also denotes the technique of applying gold to a metal.”

“The word comes from the French or moulu, which translates as ‘ground or powdered gold’ — the form the gold takes before it is applied to a metal surface.”

From the court of King Louis XVI to that of Napoleon I, the French elite snapped up furniture mounted with ormolu, as well as sconces, candelabra and table lamps made from the material. 

If you're looking to bring a touch of this 19th-century pizzazz to your desk, an antique ormolu table lamp is a decorative touch that blends ornament and functionality. Perfect for lighting your nightstand or reading nook, table lamps play an integral role in styling an inviting room, and a well-crafted ormolu table lamp does more than provide light; the right fixture-and-table combination can add a focal point or creative element to any interior.

Today, antiques collectors and interior designers seek out the finest in ormolu clocks and continue to prize ormolu for its extraordinary craftsmanship and history-infused glamour. 

“This wondrous material was highly sought after in France as the ultimate luxury. It magically resembled solid gold and sparkled under candlelight,” says Sinai.

Find antique ormolu table lamps, ormolu floor lamps and other ormolu lighting on 1stDibs.

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