Handel Reverse-Painted Lamp, ca. 1924
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GUEST:
I brought a lamp that was left to me by my mother. It's a Handel lamp. I believe it's reverse-painted with a chipped ice glass shade. That's pretty much all I know about it. I searched all over the shade for a signature, and it not having one made me wonder, such a well-known company, and everywhere you read that they have signatures and numbers on them, why mine didn't have one has always creeped me out a little bit.
APPRAISER:
Well, I don't think you have any cause for concern because yes, it is in fact a Handel. I actually found a reproduction of an original drawing from the 1924 sales catalog, and it showed this lamp.
GUEST:
This lamp?
APPRAISER:
As you know, they made more than one of these, but it did show this model. It's number 7126 and it's described as "an 18 inch decorated Taroma glass shade." In the description, it reads, "An iridescent gold etched brown, "peacock decoration in blues, yellows, greens, browns, and a gold black onyx effect base," which there is a gold finish on the white metal base, and this does look very much like onyx. It is signed on the underside. So if you could take the shade off for me...
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
And if we look down here, it says, "Handel Lamp." Now, what's interesting is that these shades have appeared on the market signed and unsigned, and yours happens to be an unsigned one. No cause to worry. What we do know in previous information about this shade that it was designed by this man named Henry Bedigie: B-E-D-I-G-I-E.
GUEST:
Would he have been the one who also painted?
APPRAISER:
That's a very good question. While he may have designed it, the people who painted the shades were anonymous workers who just did this work for Handel.
GUEST:
Craft workers.
APPRAISER:
Pretty much, because ultimately, this was made with a stencil design. But it was Henry Bedigie. Bedigie.
GUEST:
I have an original Bedigie.
APPRAISER:
You have an original Bedigie, yes. This has all the bells and whistles for a reverse painted lamp. It's unusual actually to see the gilding here. And then this is the chipped ice effect that you see on the shade. Did you ever have this appraised after your mother died?
GUEST:
Approximately five years ago, it was appraised for around $5,000.
APPRAISER:
Now, was this in conjunction with an estate appraisal?
GUEST:
No, I just went and had it appraised because my mom had told me that it was, you know, a fancy lamp.
APPRAISER:
What's interesting about Handel, particularly this kind of lamp, the values have really fluctuated. In fact, in probably 2004, a lamp like this had sold for as much as $32,500 at auction.
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
And now they've been going down in value. I would put an insurance or a replacement value of $10,000 to $15,000 on the lamp.
GUEST:
Oh, my goodness!
APPRAISER:
And I kind of think that when you had it appraised a few years ago, it was actually worth more in the neighborhood of about $15,000 to $18,000.
GUEST:
Oh, my goodness. I know my mom probably watches ANTIQUES ROADSHOW up in heaven, and hey, Mom, you did good!
Appraisal Details
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