Antique Victorian Kerosene / Oil Lamp Chandelier
Stunning piece!
Circa 1880's
~ Gorgeous restored condition ~
This is a true antique from the late 1800's, with patent dates from 1867 to 1882.
The chandelier is made of red brass (brass containing a large percentage of copper), and is dripping with 42 crystal prisms!
A beautiful, eye-catching example from the Aesthetic Movement of "Art for art's sake". :)
The glass fonts are beautiful - their swirl and dot designs complement the embossed details in the lamp so well.
The brass burners and font caps have a bit of patina, as these weren't polished.
The knobs on the burners are marked Pat Dec 10 1867, Aug 29 82.
The burners work well and each has a new wick installed.
There are no chips or cracks in the glass shades, chimneys or fonts, and everything looks amazing when lit!
The glass chimneys have flared / lipped based and are held in place with thumb screws so that they don't wiggle.
Two of the chimneys have small flea bite chips at the fitters, which is normal and covered when installed (see closeup for an example).
Two of the chimneys are marked "ACME Lead Flint, Made in The U.S. of America".
One chimney has no markings.
You can tell that all three chimneys were handmade, mouth-blown glass, as the top edges have a slight wave (not perfectly straight like a machine made chimney).
This is a lovely feature! :-)
The red brass of the fixture has all been polished to bring out its original shine.
The crystal prisms make the chandelier feel so rich and opulent!
Three hanging options:
1. Hang it from the loop at the top (the loop is threaded and removable by unscrewing)
2. Install it right into the ceiling using the hanging bracket for an electrical box (bracket included)
3. Use the original pull-down mechanism that was removed and will be included (it needs repair)
Explanations below:
This type of chandelier would have originally been adjustable in height in order to lower it down to light the oil lamps, however the original mechanism from 1882 wasn't working correctly and needed repairs, so it has been removed and the chandelier is now a single height / drop length, as shown. We will include that original motor mechanism and interior rod if you want to repair that and use the pull down mechanism. It needs the long strip of metal that connect the motor to the rod. The spring in the mechanism itself works just fine. The second brass pole that would extend with this second rod is still inside the main brass pole in the light now. Send us a message if you need photos or details of the mechanism.
The way it is hanging now is a typical drop length for a chandelier for most ceiling heights, however if you need it to be longer, you can add chain at the top in the loop above the canopy (the loop is removable). If you want to install it right into the ceiling, a hanging bracket is also included, as shown. So, you have versatile options for hanging it. Send us a message if you have any questions about these options.