Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Let There Be Light

This is a detail of an antique lampshade belonging to my mother-in-law. She inherited it from her mother, so it may be 80 years old, and perhaps even older than that. As you can see in the photo below, the shade itself is made of engraved glass to which are attached strands of glass beads. It hangs from the ceiling by a woven silk rope.
I think it may be Art Nouveau style (which is called Liberty in Italian), but I'm not sure. Does anyone know more about this? In any case, it is simply beautiful!

15 comments:

Unknown said...

can't help you out on any historical information, but I love the beaded strands. Sometimes you can find great liberty pieces here in Catania, in fact we even bought a liberty chandelier for our bedroom! Nothing like your mother-in-law's, but I love the effect of the light reflecting off the crystals.

valeria said...

It's absolutely gorgeous. I, too, would say it's Liberty, but I don't know more.
My daughter would be so attracted to it, she would want to touch the beads. Me too... to hear what sound they produce..!

Maria Verivaki said...

absolutely beautiful - i've seen similar ones to this on sale in various places in greece. i always wanted one myself, but now that i've got children who are attracted to precious objects , i think i might have to think about acquiring one much later in life!

Unknown said...

First of all I like your title: 'Fiat lux'! :-)
The lamp is gorgeous and I also think it's Deco, although it may not be a very 'typical' one, except for the colour pattern of the beads. Is the silk roap original? I had no idea italians call Liberty to Art Deco.

mouse (aka kimy) said...

beautiful lamp...whatever style it is! I also had no idea that liberty is the italian name for art deco! wonder what the origin of that is!

Kathleen McQueen Wright said...

My home is full of antiques this would look great in my home. I love the shade.Nice shot also!

Petrea Burchard said...

It's lovely. Thanks for the detail shot, too.

From the looks of the food shots from previous days, I need to move to Molfetta.

Jilly said...

It's just beautiful. Wonderful photograph. I want this lamp!

nobu said...

It is a elegant lamp, I love it.

Jane Hards Photography said...

I love art deco, but had no idea it was called liberty there. The things you learn blogging.

Ming the Merciless said...

After reading the post, the first thing that popped into my head is "Antique Road Show", a TV program where people can bring their antiques to have it appraised. :-)

They definitely don't make things like this anymore. The details and craftwork look amazing.

Pietro Brosio said...

Beautiful and precious lamp.

USelaine said...

I love it too. I like how the silk tassel drapes around the top. Pure elegance.

Marie Reed said...

That lampshade is just gorgeous! I'm glad that you added the closeup:)

Saretta said...

I'd love to pass all your compliments on to my mother-in-law, but she's unfortunately beyond the stage of understanding much. She probably already knows what a special lamp she has.