Brandy Keg Lamp

(31.5"x17"x11.5")

This 19th-century brandy keg lamp is crafted from porcelain and lined with a red and gold glaze. Protruding from the keg’s wooden platform is a spout made entirely out of bronze. The hand-painted barrel appears to be of the London-based “Lumley & Co.” brand, but the original context for this lamp is unknown – perhaps it was used for advertising in a pub, or it belonged to an eclectic home decorator with a special appreciation for brandy. This lamp is made of sturdy, high-quality materials fit for an elegant home, but the design mimics the look of a consumable item. Ceramic barrels may have been displayed in sets to encapsulate a range of alcoholic beverage choices – like whisky, rum, or gin – available for sale in a shop or pub. Indeed, Lumley and Co. was not a manufacturer of decorative ceramics, but a supplier of goods for the bottling industry. Examples of goods produced by L. Lumley & Co. include packing cases, ice moulds, and yew rules (for measuring cask volume). This barrel’s delightful transformation into a lamp is somewhat of a mystery: matching Lumley & Co. ceramic barrels for other alcoholic beverages survive on the antique market, but the added lamp feature is absent.