Lamp (Argand lamp)

Description

This English fused plate table lamp presents an early rendition of novel lighting technology in the neoclassical form of a Greek drinking vessel, such as the kylix or kantharos. The ancient form encases a tinned sheet iron liquid fuel burner designed by Francois Pierre Ami Argand to produce a flame that burned up to ten times brighter than a candle. The body of the lamp serves as an oil reservoir and the pierced upper plate helped aerate the wick. First considered uncomfortably glaring to eyes unaccustomed to such interior illumination, this style of lamp brightened indoor spaces for upper economic level American consumers, including George Washington. An early owner of this device had their initials engraved on the silver oval inset in the lamp's side.