01-04-2019 10:20 AM
01-04-2019 12:14 PM
@thecatsmeowonadams wrote:Need help identifying this brass vase. I believe someone turned into a lamp
Why do you believe it was a vase originally and then turned into a lamp?
To identify items like this you first look at the bottom, often there are marks. Makers marks may also be hidden on a part, like under a molding or inside a handle.
You have basically shown us 8 of the same photo.
Close ups of parts, cord, bottom, how parts are connected, ect. are what you look for when trying to identify a piece like this.
From the photos it appears to be mid to late 1920s and it might be made of brass.
01-04-2019 03:36 PM
There are no markings and the lamp was put together the pieces do no match and they look awkward together. I’m not sure it was a vase or what it was before, and I’m not sure of the material either will post more pictures later.
01-04-2019 09:40 PM
It is possible it was a vase, you may be able to tell by how the hole was drilled on the bottom. I don't know if it would matter or not?
Manufacturers and Lamp Shops are known to have joined disparate parts to make a lamp. Marking aren't always easy to find, but it is possible there was no tag (one of a kind lamp shop creation) or the paper tag fell off.
01-05-2019 01:20 AM
01-05-2019 01:21 AM
It appears that a hole was cut on the bottom because of the wear inside opening. There was a piece of wood on bottom not shown here
01-05-2019 04:13 PM
I would have expected to see a "foot" and a hole drilled through if it was originality a vase. It looks like solid brass or bronze. The pieces fit well together, suggesting a standard size or intention during manufacture. I know the copper ring at the top may look off, but it is possible that it was an intended design element or perhaps just what was laying around in the shop that fit. If you have seen the better lamp repair shops, you may have seen the thousands of cubby holes with various parts, some decades old, waiting to be assembled.
The actual foot for the lamp appears to be pot metal? with a brass plate or paint? It has been rewired, but all of the parts look to me like they could be original as when made in the 1920s.
This lamp has a distinct charm. I am unsure that having a makers mark would help to sell it. I would imagine it's "one-of-a-kind" uniqueness should appeal to the antique buyer or decorator. To sell, I might focus on the style and age over the manufacture/assembly.
01-05-2019 06:37 PM
Thank you for your responses I greatly appreciate them. Another thing I forgot to mention, there is s silver metal tag that is holding the wires together that says return to dept Sacramento Fish & Game and then it has a number. Appears to have been a scrap piece used to repair it.
01-06-2019 07:15 AM
It looks like there is a repair on the handle on the left in your last posts. That seems a little odd.
It is possible that the lamp did belong to an office at the Fish & Game. Which gave me a second thought. What if the urn was part of an award (hunting/fishing) and the owner took it in to have a lamp made from it? That would explain the unusual assembly of parts. The parts of the trophy listing the "winner" year, etc were removed. The urn part could easily have been a component of a trophy as well as a lamp. That may explain the repair, for some reason like the trophy was damaged in an earth quake, or the earn damaged while being re-assembled..