As any interior designer knows light is one of the most important variables in any room. From the soft glow of a candle held in a simple brass candlestick, to a pair of carefully positioned wall lights, or a grand statement chandelier dangling from the ceiling, your choice of lighting really matters. Although there are many modern lights out there to choose from, Antique and vintage lamps offer unique designs you won’t find on the High Street as well as appealing age-worn finishes and colours. Indeed, with old lighting it is all about being bold and letting your instincts guide you to the best creative designs of the past. Often vintage desk lamps are mini sculptures themselves, so give them plenty of physical space in the room to let them shine (quite literally!)
While old electrical lighting can be the perfect solution to any space, due to deteriorating parts it is important to either buy from reputable dealers or get them professionally checked and rewired yourself. That is one reason why buying from our specialist Dealers is so beneficial (as unless otherwise stated) they do this hard work for you. Also rewiring rarely harms the overall value of an antique or vintage lamp, and usually enhances it instead.
At LoveAntiques we have an impressive selection of genuine antique and vintage lighting for all your needs.
£ 450
Elmgarden
Central Brass Column Table Lamp
£ 395
Koos Limburg Jnr
Pair B: Pair of 4 Classical Columns Brass & Mahogany Table Lamps
£ 1,250
£ 1,250
Pair A: Classical 4 Columns Brass & Mahogany Beautiful Pair of Table Lamps
£ 1,250
Koos Limburg Jnr
Debenham Antiques Ltd
Pair of Silver Plate Candlesticks
£ 250
£ 395
Marylebone Antiques
Pair of Vintage Brass Table Lamps with Velvet Shades
£ 545
O Keeffe Antiques
French Pair of Gilded Wheatsheaf Chandeliers
£ 595
O Keeffe Antiques
English Pair of Gilded Bronze Antique Wall Lights
£ 795
O Keeffe Antiques
English Gilded Bronze 6 Light Antique Chandelier
£ 875
Marylebone Antiques
Large Pair of Vintage Chrome Table Lamps
£ 1,450
O Keeffe Antiques
French Pair of Gilded Bronze Antique Wall Lights
£ 795
Elmgarden
Large Copper Lantern
£ 475
O Keeffe Antiques
English Gilded Bronze Five Light Antique Lantern
£ 4,950
£ 900
£ 475
O Keeffe Antiques
French Pair of Bronze Twin Arm Rope Antique Wall Lights
£ 875
Fernyhough Antiques Ltd
Pair of Black Marble & Ormolu Table Lamps
£ 795
Marylebone Antiques
1960s Vintage Two Headed Floor Lamp
£ 475
C.S.Moreton (Antiques)
Pair of Neo-classical Ormolu Wall Lights
£ 345
Sturmans Antiques Ltd
Pair of Edwardian Period Silver Classical Style Candlesticks
£ 299
Koos Limburg Jnr
Porcelain Japanese Hand Painted Table Lamp
£ 675
£ 745
Koos Limburg Jnr
Porcelain Japanese Hand Painted Table Lamp
£ 675
£ 1,495
William Rand Antiques
Cornish Serpentine Lighthouse Lamp
£ 220
Fontaine Decorative
Pair of Ceramic Vase Table Lamps with Butterflies
£ 450
Elmgarden
Large Kostka Sideboard Pebble Lamp
£ 395
Fontaine Decorative
Brass Classical Reeded Column Table Lamp
£ 245
£ 425
O Keeffe Antiques
French Silver Gilded Cherub Light Fitting
£ 495
O Keeffe Antiques
French Gilded Brass Triple Light Antique Lantern
£ 655
Fernyhough Antiques Ltd
Wonderful Pair French Alabaster Table Lamps
£ 895
Fontaine Decorative
Pair of Gilt Wood Two Branch Wall Lights
£ 350
Fontaine Decorative
Pair of Eastern Brass Vases Converted to Table Lamps
£ 350
Fontaine Decorative
Chinese Vase Converted to a Table Lamp
£ 265
Fontaine Decorative
Cut Glass Pendant Light
£ 225
Fontaine Decorative
Cut Glass Pendant Light
£ 225
O Keeffe Antiques
French Pair Of Gilded Bronze 8 Light Chandeliers
£ 5,750
William Rand Antiques
Pair Of Solid Brass Gimbal Lamps
£ 475
How to date antique brass candlesticks?
Antique candlesticks are a universally loved item and date back thousands of years. However because they are all quite similar and look the same shiny colour when cleaned, it is not always easy to know how old they are. The overall form of brass candlestick has varied quite a bit over time from wider domed bases and larger drip trays to slender neoclassical varieties with push-up sockets and square bases. However, since it is relatively easy to copy older designs (and plenty of people have) it is important to look at the condition and construction also. Up to the end of the 18th Century most candlesticks were hammered or cast but by the 19th century were being stamped or spun in sections. These older examples tend to use thicker brass and will be held together with hand cut screw threads and hand cut squared nuts. Since these items were used on a daily basis then you would also expect a good degree of wear and knocks as well.
Is antique lighting valuable?
As a highly practical accessory antique and vintage lighting can be quite valuable mostly ranging up to a few thousand UK Pounds. There are of course two reasons people purchase lights, one of which is for their aesthetic appeal, but the other is because some of the finest industrial designers of the past 100 years also chose to design lamps. These lamps can be fun and modern or clever and timeless but because they also remain highly practical they should prove to be good longer term investments.
Do old lamps need to be rewired?
As usable items old electric lamps are naturally far more valuable when they work. Whether the lamp is ultimately PAT tested with the old wiring or rewired does not affect the overall value of the lamp, but for piece-of-mind having the item rewired is always preferable. The reason is because these old lamps internally bear wires and holders which will have aged over time sometimes more substantially than is visually noticeable. The older rubber and threads covering the wires will have dried and cracked and the fixings in the holders may have come loose. Many were also made at a time of lower voltages and without an Earth. This is one reason why it is worth purchasing such items from a specialist as on LoveAntiques who will ensure your cool looking lamp is safe to use for decades to come.
How to choose an antique lamp?