Sevres Style Urn Lamps
These sevres style urn lamps bring nineteenth century French elegance to a room through hand painted porcelain and ormolu mounts.
Sevres Style Urn Lamps
When you search for sevres style urn lamps, you are looking at nineteenth century French table lamps that combine hand painted porcelain urns with cast ormolu or gilt bronze mounts. These decorative lighting pieces originate from the French chateau tradition and draw upon French rococo revival and Napoleon III aesthetics.
How they were made
Makers shaped these table lamps using ceramic bodies of porcelain combined with cast ormolu and gilt bronze mounts. Artisans applied hand painted scenes directly onto the cobalt blue or bleu celeste porcelain surfaces.
Workshops completed the construction by securing the porcelain urns within elaborate ormolu mounts and brass or onyx bases, often pairing the assembled lamp bodies with fabric or silk shades.
Several nineteenth century lamps manage to turn ancient urn forms into reading lights by running a cord right through the middle of the porcelain.
What varies in quality
The standard of the hand painted decoration on the porcelain body determines much of the distinction between examples. Finer pieces display crisp brushwork and detailed pictorial scenes set against rich cobalt blue or bleu celeste grounds.
The crispness and weight of the ormolu mounts also separate standard examples from finer ones. Superior pieces exhibit deeply chased gilt bronze mounts that fit the contours of the porcelain urn precisely.
The Sevres Style Urn Lamps Glossary
- Ormolu
- Gilded bronze mounts applied to furniture, clocks, and porcelain bodies. This technique involves using mercury and gold to create a bright metallic finish.
- Bleu celeste
- A bright sky blue porcelain ground colour developed in French factories. It is frequently seen on nineteenth century decorative urns and lamps.
- Cobalt blue
- A deep blue pigment used to colour porcelain before glazing and firing. This shade forms the dark background for many hand painted table lamps.
- Napoleon III
- A French design style spanning the mid to late nineteenth century. It combines eclectic historical revivals with ornate decoration and rich materials.
Sevres Style Urn Lamps: Frequently Asked Questions
What are sevres style urn lamps?
These pieces are nineteenth century French table lamps made from porcelain urns fitted with ormolu mounts. They reproduce the decorative aesthetic of historic French porcelain.
Craftsmen mounted the painted porcelain bodies onto brass or onyx bases to create functional lighting for grand interiors.
How were these lamps used?
Original nineteenth century interiors utilised these large urn lamps on side tables and mantelpieces to provide ambient illumination. They served as decorative focal points in French chateau settings.
Today they function as statement table lamps that bring period character to drawing rooms and studies.
How do I live with them?
Place these lamps on sturdy console tables or sideboards where their ormolu mounts and painted porcelain bodies can be seen clearly. Pair them with simple fabric or silk shades that complement the colours of the base.
Keep them away from direct sunlight and high traffic areas to protect the hand painted porcelain and gilt bronze surfaces.
How do I tell periods apart?
Look closely at the combination of materials, such as the presence of onyx bases or the specific shade of the porcelain ground like bleu celeste or cobalt blue. Nineteenth century pieces often display distinct Napoleon III or rococo revival casting styles in their ormolu mounts.
Examine the hand painting technique and the weight of the bronze mounts to understand the manufacturing era.