Argand wall lamp

New Room
View of north wall with sideboard and looking glass
Spring Scenario 2014

Status

Not on view

Label Text

George Washington was at the forefront of style and technology when he purchased “2 pair[s] Patent Lamps” for the Presidential mansion. The classically inspired, urn-shaped body embellished with bright-cut engraved foliate bands and garlands, serves as the oil reservoir that feeds a tubular wick held between two concentric metal tubes. The patented design by inventor François-Pierre Aimé Argand dramatically improved airflow, thereby producing a brighter flame that burned longer and produced less smoke than earlier oil lamps and candles. Impressed with their ability, Washington brought them back to Mount Vernon.

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Datec. 1790-1797

Retailer Joseph Anthony (American, 1762 - 1814)

Geography Probably made - EnglandRetailed - United States

Medium/TechniqueFused silverplate on copper, brass, tin, glass

DimensionsOverall (H x W x D): 16 1/8 in. x 7 3/4 in. x 4 in. (40.96 cm x 19.69 cm x 10.16 cm)

Credit LineGift of Mrs. Charles Angelo Conrad, 1893

Object numberW-13/A

DescriptionA1:
Fused silverplate Argand-type wall lamp with octagonal urn-shaped font decorated with bright-cut engraving of foliate bands and garlands; the font is affixed to a flared and stepped base that sits atop an integral cylindrical pedestal and spooled foot that screws into a baluster-shaped arm protruding from a circular wall plate affixed with three screws; attached to the pedestal is a swelled and faceted arm that projects horizontally from the left to support a hollow cylinder; the footed cylinder features a double row of foliate piercing at the base, a sheet iron central draft burner, and an iron and brass rack-and-pinion mechanism for elevating the wick.

A2:
Cylindrical hand blown glass chimney with pinched shoulders; set into a brass collar.

Published ReferencesCarol Borchert Cadou, The George Washington Collection: Fine and Decorative Arts at Mount Vernon (New York: Hudson Hills Press, 2006), 18.

Marian S. Carson, “Washington Furniture at Mount Vernon, I. The Banquet Hall,” American Collector 16/4 (May 1947), 6, 17.

MarkingsA.1: Maker’s mark stamped at foot of front facet of font body: illegible, two masses appear to join above a jagged edge featuring three peaks. See Object File for image.

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