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This is a simply awesome inverted Handel hanging lamp in all original condition. This lamp does not look to have been cleaned in 100 years which adds to its original beauty and layered year after year of tarnish and natural age.
It will be a long time before you see another lamp like this one. In its original untouched by human hands condition and unique parts of the era.
It will be a long time before you see another lamp like this one. In its original untouched by human hands condition and unique parts of the era.
This hanger features three old Hubbell sockets.
These are not 'just' old sockets, but Harvey Hubbell PRE-INC sockets. Marked "Harvey Hubbell" and not "Harvey Hubbell Inc."
This means that they are pre 1905, because Hubbell incorporated in 1905 and started marking their sockets "Harvey Hubbell Inc.
Each Hubbell socket also retains its original HEAVY old style SOLID (not hollow) flat tip acorn pull which also helps date this lamp a little earlier since hollow acorns started being used about 1904. The socket shells were patent applied for on 05/26/1902 which dates this unique lamp from 1902-1904.
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This lamp also features a heavy (about three pounds) hanger canopy with hand wrought hooks and LARGE 2" acorn center finial.
The chain is the over sized large link solid brass/bronze type chain.
You would be surprised to know that many lamp makers used steel chain that was plated over with brass, bronze, copper, etc. An easy way to tell the difference is to get out the old magnet and see if it sticks.
You can also add another few pounds to this lamp for the chain. |
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A view under the canopy
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The shade holders shown above are also thick heavy brass or bronze which are welded on the shade as well as the cluster support bar.
It looks as though the shade supports may have been repaired at one time long ago, either this or maybe added support was given many years ago or close to the time this lamp was made. I say this only because the weld looks heavy around two of the supports and is a cleaner weld on the other, as shown in the pictures above.
Also, this is a copper foil lamp shade.
In the early days of Handel they did not make "leaded" lamps. The method used was thin strips of copper foil that the glass was placed into and then folded over as shown to below on the under side of the shade.
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The copper foil was then soldered and made strong.
After soldering, additional copper plating methods were used over the solder to make it blend with the copper foil.
You can also see the copper strips looking closely on the out side of the shade in the picture below.
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Another feature is another smaller acorn at the base of the shade, which the pull chain is strung through. (this adds another original pre 1904 solid acorn)
This pull is hooked to a hand made (sturdy brass or bronze) three pull attachment so that all three lights can be turned on at the same time as shown below.
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There were likely a couple pieces of glass replaced at one time, I say this because of a couple places on the out side of the shade that seem to have lead in the place of copper foil. I could be wrong because it is still copper plated and shows the same levels of age and tarnish, but I bring this up for full disclosure as I am not an expert on copper foil or Handel lamps of this age and era. It could just be that some copper foil had come loose early on and just left some of the lead showing.
Nothing to detract from the lamp value, if I did not say anything I am sure it would be un noticed.
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This lamp is in awesome condition for its age.
There are two small stress cracks shown in the two pictures below.
Because of the rarity of this item and its fragile nature, also because of its untouched awesome original condition, nothing can be said or detracted from this item.
This may be the only one that survived, as I have not seen anything like this anywhere and have been looking for a long time.
The closest I can come to this lamp is a drawing in a Handel book shown to your right. But FIRST lets talk about rarity! Ask your friends (I have), look in all of your Handel books: (I have searched Mosaic Shades (an awesome book by Paul Crist), The Handel Lamps Book, Handel Lamps (painted shades & glassware), The Painted Lamps of Handel, Antique Trader Lamps & Lighting, Electric Lighting VOL II), Quality Electric Lamps (a pictorial guide) These are the main books and many more that are not worth mentioning, BUT the point: Out of all of these books, hundreds of real life pictures of different lamps; the good the bad and the ugly -- BUT NOT EVEN ONE REAL LIFE EXAMPLE - NOT ONE PICTURE OF -ANY- HANDEL INVERTED HANGING LAMP!
With only a couple pictures from old catalogs to show, this lamp is a true rare treasure.
Note also that even these examples from old catalogs are not as old as this lamp. According to the Handel numbering system, #5307 #5308 & #5318 would all date from 1910. This lamp dates 1903-1904
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This lamp is signed HANDEL on the under side of the shade.
The shade hangs 3 feet from the top of the canopy to the tip of the acorn pull under the shade. (You can adjust the height by using more or less chain).
The shade is 20 inches from edge to edge.
The acorn hangs down 2.5 inches and can be adjusted to any length (even longer if needed by adding a longer chain)
The chain links are 2" each and each string is 22.5"
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