Blog Post

THE PERSONAL CHOICE – #4

  • by Barry Aucott
  • 10 Aug, 2017

Lighting and Lamps

Welcome back to The Personal Choice.

Something that seems to be rather difficult is breaking through the “mainstream”. You would think an Antiques centre that is packed with items, packed with so much historic value that something would seem easier about it.

We can literally just walk and find old telephones, sun glasses, furniture, chess sets, lamps, you name it and we have it.

So why is it hard to try and do anything with it all? That is a conundrum I’m sure we and many other Centres face.

Yet we carry on in our stride, work through our woes and find solutions.

One might even say “find a light in the dark”.

Which of course is the nice little Segway to The Personal Choice….. Lamps!

Yes I went Lamp Crazy a little while back, finding a number of Figurine based Lamps from the vintage to the posh! But what is it about them that I personally found endearing?

Lighting is crucial, not to mention the perfect lit setting can achieve a number of results, emotions, effects and that little thing we all know as visibility.

So why wouldn’t the actual lamp itself, not only be the source of light, but the embodiment of its own self-created beauty.

The old Authentic Hurricane lamps as an example. I went on a recent purge to locate a fair number of these to put up on the website, there is literally just something about them.

As someone who enjoys a gritty tale, the Hurricane Lamps and Lanterns represent a certain image, a certain tone. They have been brought back by media and pop culture, those who might be familiar with Wrestling will know of their use for the Wyatt Family. The upcoming Video Game – The Order 1886 uses them in their own fictional Victorian setting.

There use as an emergency light source will obviously remain intact, but they have been able to create a certain mystique about themselves that I feel will last longer.

Modern (admittedly cheaper plastic / metal) variations are around more than ever to buy. Yet with the prices, age and dignity that these hold themselves after living and working through the events they were created for, wouldn’t you want one of those instead?

Just after photographing them and putting them on the website, the interest sparked up, a number of the lamps I chose have already been sold. So if you’re wanting to spice up your collection or find a certain style for the up and coming Halloween, the Hurricane Lamp might just do the trick!

 

You could make a fair argument about the Hurricane Lamps being a more “ugly” design, though not personally, I rather like the designs. Yet you can’t dispute the attractiveness of the Victorian Oil Lamps.

There are quite a number scattered around our Centre here at Astra Antiques, the ones I chose to put on the website though caught my eye with a certain something.

The Bristol Blue Oil Lamp, one of the tallest in the collection, a beautiful royal blue glass body makes a very decorative piece regardless of its functionality. The brass fluted chimney also has a similar effect, of course the brass itself is of a less striking colour, but the design on the flute is what makes it appealing.

Yet my personal favourite is the Turquoise Lamp, a smaller model with carry handle, not to mention the turquoise colouring gives it that little bit of an edge over the other models.

It is the main Lamps though that might perhaps hold something a little bit different.

Although some of these have stunning glass lamp shades filled with beautiful colours that I can only imagine how they would look once illuminated. But it might actually be the bases themselves that are what makes these interesting.

Fully crafted figurines or scenes, capturing a moment, telling a story and being illuminated like actors in the spotlight.

Lighting can make a house a home, and these add that certain spice of character and rather than just being a source, become a part of your décor.

So be sure to head on over to www.astra-antiques.com and check out all of our Lighting and Lamps range and as always, take a trip to our centre, because even we are amazed by what we find!

 

 

www.Astra-Antiques.com

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Till next time!

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