Learn about and understand the items, manufacturers, designers and periods as well as the specialist terms used in describing antiques and collectables. Either click one of the letters below to list the items beginning with that letter, or click on a category on the left side of the screen to list the items under that category.

Argand Lamps

The Argand lamp was a lamp that burned whale oil, colza, olive oil or other vegetable oil lamp and produced a brighter light than candles. It was invented and patented in 1780 by Frenchman Aimé Argand (1750 – 1803. Aside from the improvement in brightness, the more complete combustion of the wick and oil required much less frequent trimming of the wick.

Because of the weight of the oil, the reservoir was mounted above the burner, and the wick was supplied with fuel by a gravity feed.

The wick also differed from what had been previously used. It was sleeve-shaped, and set-up so that air could pass both through the centre of the wick and also around the outside of the wick before being drawn into chimney. The cylindrical chimney steadied the flame and improved the flow of air.

The Argand lamp, together with the Carcel lamp was in general use until about 1850 when kerosene lamps were introduced.

The Carcel lamp was invented by the French watchmaker Bernard Guillaume Carcel (1750–1818) to overcome the disadvantages of the Argand lamp. He invented a clockwork mechanism that that drove a small pump in the tank that fed the Colza oil from a reservoir below the burner.

Kerosene had been invented in 1846 by Canadian Abraham Pineo Gesner (1797 –1864). His research into minerals resulted the development of a process to refine a liquid fuel from coal, bitumen and oil shale. His new discovery, which he named kerosene, burned more cleanly and was less expensive than competing products such as whale oil, colza and olive oil.

Kerosene also produced a whiter flame, and as it had a lower viscosity than the oils previously used, it could easily travel up a wick, eliminating the need for complicated mechanisms to feed the fuel to the burner.

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Barovier & Toso

The Barovier family of Venetian glassmakers can trace their history back to the 13th century, and in 1884, Giovanni (1839 - 1908) together with nephews Benedetto (1857-1930), Giuseppe (1863-1942) and Benvenuto (1855-1932), all members of the Barovier family founded the Murano glassworks that became Artisti Barovier in 1890.

In 1919 Benvenuto's sons, Ercole (1889-1974) and Nicolo, and Giuseppe's son, Napoleone, joined the firm, creating the Vetreria Artistica Barovier, that was remarkable for its blown glass animals and murrine vases.

In 1919 Benvenuto's sons, Ercole (1889-1974) and Nicolo, and Giuseppe's son, Napoleone, joined the firm, creating the Vetreria Artistica Barovier, that became known its blown glass animals, murrine vases and, by 1929, the Primavera series of art deco style elegant vases in white glass with black handles.

Ercole Barovier took over as the artistic director of the company after World War I and the company was renamed Vetreria Artistica Barovier & C. he was able to innovate and create new chemical formulae, new colours and improved methods to manufacture glass.

The company merged with Ferro, Seguso and Toso in 1936 and in 1939 was renamed Barovier & Toso, remaining under the control of Ercole Barovier.

He remained the mainstay of firm until his death in 1972 when his son Angelo (1927 - 2008) took over. The company is still in operation under the control of Angelo.

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Barsony

Barsony Ceramics, synonymous with the production of matt black coloured ceramics from the 1950s and 1960s, was an Australian ceramics manufacturing company operated by George Barsony (1917-2010) and Jean Barsony from the early 1950s to the early 1970s.

George Barsony, a sculptor from Hungary had arrived in Australia as a refugee in 1949 and shortly after, met his future wife Jean who had come to Australia from England and worked in a Sydney pottery.

Together they set up Barsony Ceramics, and the company's operations were conducted from a factory Guernsey Street, Guildford in Western Sydney from the 1950s to 1970s.

As well as manufacturing under the Barsony name, Barsony Ceramics also produced items under the Silver Cloud and Venice labels, but items under these labels very rarely come onto the market.

Decorative items produce by Barsony included candlesticks, figurines, lamp bases, ashtrays, wall hangings, bookends, figure vases, bowls etc.

Most Barsony products were marked, although there are some that have no markings. As well there are copies of Barsony products that are unmarked, and a range of similar items were made by Kalmar.

Genuine Barsony can be identified by the numbering system on the base of the item: 'H' indicated head, 'V' indicated vase', and 'L' indicated 'lamp'. Thus 'FL' indicated a figural lamp and 'HL' indicated a head lamp. These letters are followed by the model or mould number. Many of the lamps and figures are named models, such as 'Drumbeat of Trinidad' (FL-41), 'Beauty of the Beach' (F-19) and 'Sitting Black Lady' (FL39). Kalmar items had a similar marking system and it is often difficult to distinguish between the two manufacturers.

The most recognisable Barsony product are the "black lady" lamps, featuring a scantily dressed figure with red and white highlights, and collectors are able to distinguish between original shades that came with the lamp, and later replacements. The price of a lamp will be boosted if it has the original shade which, often were of plastic ribbon and raffia trimmed with thin velvet ribbon. Some of the lamp bases even had built in ash trays but the inclusion of the ashtray was a monetary not a design consideration. At that time a high sales tax was levied on ornamental items, while utilitarian items such as cups, plates and ashtrays attracted a reduced sales tax.

Candelabra / Girandole

A candelabra is a multi-branched candelstick for use on a large table. In addition to the central stem, they may have between two and six branches.

Long ago made redundant through electrification, their purpose these days is decorative. They were sometimes made in sets of two or more, although very few sets with more than two candelabra have survived.

Most commonly they were made in silver and silver plate from the mid 17th century, but other materials used were ceramic and pewter. Silver candelabra often had a flame shaped finial that fitted in each candle socket when the candlelabra was not in use. As an aid to cleaning, the ornate arms are often removeable.

The plural of candelabra is either candelabra or candelabrum.

A girandole is a type of candelabra that features several branches or arms for holding candles. It is often used as a decorative piece and can range in design from simple and functional to highly ornate and elaborate. Girandoles can be made from a variety of materials, including metal, glass, and crystal, and can be found in a range of sizes, from table models to large floor-standing pieces.

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Capital

In architecture, a capital is the topmost member of a column, pilaster, or pier, which sits on top of the shaft and supports the entablature or architrave above it. The capital is typically the most ornate and decorative element of the column, and it can take many different forms depending on the architectural style of the building.

In classical architecture, the most common types of capitals are the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. Doric capitals are simple and have a circular shape with a flat top and bottom. Ionic capitals have a more elaborate design with scrolls or volutes (spiral shapes) at the top, and Corinthian capitals are the most decorative, with elaborate carvings of acanthus leaves and other motifs.

In other architectural styles, capitals can take many different forms, such as the bell-shaped capitals of Gothic architecture or the foliate designs of the Romanesque period. The capital is one of the most important architectural element in a building, it is the one that gives the most character and identity to the building.

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Carcel Lamps

The Carcel lamp was invented by the French watchmaker Bernard Guillaume Carcel (1750–1818) to overcome the disadvantage of the Argand lamp.

Because of the weight of the oil, the reservoir of the Argand lamp was mounted above the burner, and the wick was supplied with fuel by a gravity feed.

The result was a shadow cast behind the reservoir of the Argand lamp.

Carcel invented a clockwork mechanism located in the base of the lamp, that that drove a small pump in the tank that fed Colza oil from a reservoir below the burner.

Both the Argand lamp and Carcel lamp were superseded when kerosene became available as a fuel for lamps.

Complete Carcel lamps (with their clockwork mechanism and pump) very rarely come onto the market.

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Chambersticks

Chambersticks consist of a central socket for the candle, mounted on a circular or rectangular tray, and were intended for use in rooms that were usually unoccupied such as the bedroom, or for moving between rooms. The earlier chamber sticks had a slot in the candle socket for ejecting the spent candle, and a bracket or support for holding a cone shaped candle extinguisher. For carrying, the earlier chamber sticks of the 18th century had or a long saucepan style handle. In the 19th century they usually had a ring or half-ring handle, which sometimes included a support for the snuffer.

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Chandeliers

Strictly speaking, a chandelier is any multi-branch ceiling light.

But what we understand in popular usage as a chandelier today - a grand ceiling light fitting with many lights and multiple crystal prisms - is the result of a long evolutionary process of this type of light.

Originally made in wood as a cross with spikes on which to fix the candles, they were able to be lowered for lighting, and then hoisted to a suitable height by means of a pulley.

From the 15th century they were made in a wider variety of materials including brass, wrought iron, gilded wood and silver.

By the 18th century, developments in glassmaking allowed for the introduction of prisms in their manufacture, because of their light scattering properties.

An elaborate chandelier was a status symbol of the wealthy in the 18th and 19th century and materials now used included bronze and porcelain. Manufacturers of the crystal prisms included famous names in glassmaking such as Baccarat and Waterford.

Prestigious English manufacturers of the time included Parker & Perry, of Fleet Street, F.& C. OSLER of London and Birmingham and Maydwell and Windle.

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Colza Lamps

Colza oil is a vegetable oil produced from rape seeds. It was used for domestic lighting in Europe before the invention of kerosene. It was used in both Argand lamps, and Carcel lamps, but is more associated with the Cancel lamp.

The Argand lamp was invented and patented in 1780 by Frenchman Aimé Argand (1750 – 1803). Because of the weight of the oil, the reservoir was mounted above the burner, and the wick was supplied with fuel by a gravity feed.

This was a major disadvantage of the lamp as a shadow was cast behind the reservoir.

The Carcel lamp was invented by the French watchmaker Bernard Guillaume Carcel (1750–1818) to overcome the disadvantage of the Argand lamp. He invented a clockwork mechanism that that drove a small pump in the tank that fed the Colza oil from a reservoir below the burner.

Both the Argand lamp and Carcel lamp were superseded when kerosene became available as a fuel for lamps.

Kerosene had been invented in 1846 by Canadian Abraham Pineo Gesner (1797 –1864). His research into minerals resulted the development of a process to refine a liquid fuel from coal, bitumen and oil shale. His new discovery, which he named kerosene, burned more cleanly and was less expensive than competing products such as whale oil, colza and olive oil.

Kerosene also produced a whiter flame, and as it had a lower viscosity than the oils previously used, it could easily travel up a wick, eliminating the need for complicated mechanisms to feed the fuel to the burner.

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Cranberry Glass

Cranberry glass is a type of glass that is characterized by its deep red color. It was first made in the 19th century and was particularly popular during the Victorian era. It was typically used to make decorative items such as vases and figurines. The red color was achieved by adding gold chloride or selenium to the glass mixture during the manufacturing process.

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Crimped

A wavy effect on the the rims or lips of glass or silver vessels. Crimping was frequently used on brightly coloured Victorian glass.

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Degue

Degue was the mark used by the Cristalleries de Compiegne (Glassworks of Compiegne), set up in Compiegne, a town about 50 km north of Paris.

The business was established by David Guéron (1892 – 1950). to produce tableware and other functional glass, but after the 1925 Exposition des Arts Decoratifs in Paris the company began producing art glass.

In order to promote the "Degue" name the company also set up a showroom and glassworks in Paris.

The art glass range included vases, paper weights, bowls, lightshades, chandeliers, table lamps, shades.

The company was involved in litigation for six years with Société Anonyme des Verreries Schneider, who produced glass under the "Le Verre Francais" name, accused of copying their designs, and when the case was settled in 1932, both companies were financially exhausted

The company was further weakened by the general strikes in 1936 occasioned by the election of the Popular Front in May 1936, and it ceased production.

The business was officially closed in 1939 at the beginning of World War II.

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Dino Martens

In the 1950s, Dino Martens was one of the leading innovative glass artists in Murano, Italy.

He was born in Venice in 1894 and studied painting at the Academia di Belle Arti in Venice from c1918 - 1924. After completing his painting studies, he worked freelance for more than 10 years as a painter and designer of hollow glass and mosaics for a number of companies including S.A.L.I.R. and Salviati.

In the late 1930s he was appointed artistic director and head designer of Aureliano Toso glassworks in Murano. His design creativity in composition and use of colour was set free.

By 1948 he had already designed his first patchwork Zanfirici In subtle colours as well as the Oriente In strong colours. His pieces were often characterised by striking asymmetric form. He continued designing for Aureliano Toso until the early sixties.

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Fornasetti, Piero

A Piero Fornasetti 'Libreria' pattern four panel screen, circa 1953, lithographically and transfer printed wood depicting a set of bookshelves adorned with objects and books the reverse decorated en grisaille with four neoclassical allegorical trophies
Piero Fornasetti, Sunburst Chair, designed 1955, manufactured by Fornasetti Milano, lacquered wood and metal

Piero Fornasetti (1913-88) was a Milanese designer, painter, sculptor and interior decorator.

The range of products incorporating his whimsical and often black and white designs include scarves, drink coasters, lamps, umbrella stands, trays, cabinets, chairs, tables, desks, screens and plates and vases.

It has been estimated that by the 1960's there were over 11,000 different items incorporating his designs.

He showed artistic ability as a child, and studied at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts, and later at the Castello Sforzesco school, both in Milan.

After a period of travel to Africa he returned to Milan in 1933, and his designs on silk scarves were seen by noted Italian architect Gio Ponti, who later became his collaborator on various projects including the interior decoration of the Casa Lucano in Milan in 1951, and the ocean liner, Andrea Doria in 1952.

Since his death in 1988, the business in Milan has been continued by his son Barnaba who has revived production of the most popular designs, and produced new designs under the Fornasetti name.

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Garnitures

A garniture usually consists of a set of matching but not identical ornaments, usually elaborately made of bronze, gilt bronze, spelter or brass. The ornaments are commonly covered or uncovered urns, candelabra, vases, tazze or statuary, that are more decorative than practical. If only two ornaments are present, the set may have originally been part of a clock garniture, from which the clock has been separated.

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Henningsen, Poul

Poul Henningsen (1894–1967) trained as an architect in Copenhagen but specialized in lighting design. Employed by Louis Poulsen in 1924 he developed a three shade lamp known simply as the PH lamp. This hanging lamp, still in production today was joined by table, floor and wall lamps, with the PH lamp becoming a household name and to this day remaining one of the finest incandescent lamps. At his death in 1967 Poul had designed more than 100 lamps including the classic PH5.

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Jacobsen, Arne

An Arne Jacobsen egg chair, manufactured by Fritz Hansen, Denmark, from the, 1960's, and upholstered in black vinyl, base marked FH Made in Denmark, 520015

The Danish architect Arne Jacobsen (1902-71) was born in Copenhagen. As a child he showed an extraordinary talent for drawing and depicting nature. He was educated at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and the School of Architecture in Copenhagen.

Jacobsen's designs included architecture, furniture, textiles, wallpaper and silverware. He mastered the range of design from large, complex building projects to a teaspoon in a set of cutlery.

His most famous designs became ‘The Ant’, ‘Series 7’, ‘The Egg and The Swan’, and the tableware ‘Cylinda-Line’.

Jacobsen’s architecture includes a considerable number of epoch-making buildings in Denmark, Germany and Great Britain.

‘The Ant’ chair, designed in 1952 for use in the canteen of the Danish pharmaceutical firm Novo Nordisk, became the starting point of his world fame as a furniture designer and became the first of a number of lightweight chairs with the seat and back in one piece of moulded wood.

Model ‘3107’ from 1955 is often merely called ‘The Number Seven Chair’. It was launched in beech, black and white. ‘3107’ is one of the most important success stories in Danish furniture history, and over 5 million originals have been manufactured, as well as countless copies.

'The Egg' is a chair designed by Arne Jacobsen in 1958 for the lobby and reception area of the Radisson SAS hotel in Copenhagen, Denmark, which he also designed.

His simple, elegant and functional designs have a remarkable, timeless appeal and have become international design classics.

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Loaded (candlestick)

A loaded candlestick has a hollow base that has been filled with a weight such as sand or lead shot to make it more stable and less likely to tip over. This method of stabilising candlesticks was in use during the 18th century, when large and ornate candlesticks were in vogue. The under base of the candlestick was designed to be detachable so that it could be filled with the weight, and the top of the candlestick usually featured a cup or spike to hold the candle securely in place.

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Lustres on Chandeliers and Candelabra

Lustres, as seen on candelabra and chandeliers are the glass or crystal drops or pendants that hang from the arms or branches of the fixture. They are often arranged in a decorative pattern and can range in size and shape, from small teardrops to large spheres.

Lustres are designed to catch and refract light, creating a sparkling, shimmering effect. The drops are typically made of cut glass or crystal, which has a high refractive index, meaning that it bends and reflects light in a particularly beautiful way. The drops may be clear or coloured, and may be smooth or faceted.

Lustres have been used in chandeliers and candelabra for centuries, and were particularly popular during the Baroque and Rococo periods. They continue to be used today in both traditional and modern lighting designs, adding a touch of glamour and sophistication to any space.

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Opal Glass

Opal glass, also known as milk glass, is a type of opaque glass that is usually white or cream-colored, with a slightly translucent appearance resembling opal. It is produced by adding various materials to the glass during the manufacturing process, such as tin, fluorides, or phosphates, which give it its characteristic milky appearance.

Opal glass has been used for centuries in the production of decorative objects, such as vases, lamps, lamp shades and figurines. It was particularly popular in the 19th century in Europe, where was used by glass makers such as Lalique.

Opal glass is still used today in the production of a wide range of decorative and functional objects, including lampshades, jewelry, and kitchenware. Its milky appearance gives it a timeless, elegant look that is popular with collectors and enthusiasts of antique and vintage glassware.

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Opalescent / Opaline

The descriptions of glass as "opalescent" or "opaline" are often used interchangeably by dealers and auction houses. At the upper end of the scale, opalescent / opaline glass can refer to the opal-like milky blue glass produced by Lalique and Etling. It also refers to the pressed glass mass produced in Britain from the 1840s with a milky white edge as sugar-basins, milk jugs and vases were made in great quantities for the mass market, and were sold at fairs along with Staffordshire figures and wooden dolls. A less common type of opalescent glass was made from two layers of glass blown into a mould.

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Sconce

A light attached to a wall. Originally a candle holder that is attached to a wall with an ornamental bracket and sometimes with a reflective back plate, but now applied to an electric light that has been inspired by that design.

In recent times the word has also come into use to desribe the candle holders on a candelabra.

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Stourbridge

Stourbridge in Worcestershire was an important glass-making centre from the 17th century, but production declined from 1745 with the introduction of the Glass Excise Acts which raised the price of raw materials for the English glass makers. The glass tax was abolished in 1845,

enabling the factories to compete with the long-established glassworks of Bohemia, many of the products of which were copied by the English manufacturers. Products included vases, scent-bottles, candle-sticks, plates, drinking vessels, and paper-weights, as well as large exotic one-offs reflecting the interest in the past, and prestige pieces, such as cameo glass. Manufacturers based in Stourbridge included Thomas Webb & Sons, Stevens & Williams and H. G. Richardson & Sons.

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