Pairpoint Reverse-painted Lamp, ca. 1912
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GUEST:
Well, this lamp was my grandmother's. When she had passed away, we ended up divvy up articles that she had, had left behind. My grandmother used to have it on the table in the living room. Whenever she went out, she always turned on the light, and then I could always see it from the driveway. You could just see it shining. And she had a big picture window, and it was just so beautiful. And I remember as a child, too, I was so delighted, because underneath, there was, like, three little strings to pull, and it was so exciting to be able to pull each light.
APPRAISER:
I'm glad you were able to acquire it, because it clearly has a lot of sentimental value.
GUEST:
Yes, it does.
APPRAISER:
It was made by the Pairpoint Company, and they were based in New Bedford, Massachusetts. And initially, they were only making metalware, and they merged with Mount Washington Glass, which, which was also in New Bedford, in 1894. And by 1900, it became the Pairpoint Corporation.
GUEST:
Oh.
APPRAISER:
They made a lot of lamps. Started the lamp-making business around 1904, 1905, and into the 1920s. I think they made just 100 designs. And the design of your shade is called the Berkeley shade. Berkeley refers to the shape, which is this dome shape with this flared rim. The surface is called Chipped Ice, and it was meant to look like frost on a windowpane. The other part of the process was the reverse painting. It's painted from the inside. I believe that this particular lamp may have come in two sizes.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
I think there was a 14-inch size, and this is a bigger size.
GUEST:
Oh.
APPRAISER:
There's actually a mark on the base. It's a diamond mark with a P in the middle. And that stood for Pairpoint. The shade is not signed, and they weren't always signed.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
But we know for sure that's who made it. It has a couple of defects, and it's just from age. There's a loss of paint on the underside.
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
And then there's one chip to the edge. There is some corrosion on the metal stem of the lamp base. I'm not sure that it can be repaired in any way. This lamp is over 100 years old, so it's going to have some defects. I would put a circa date on this lamp of, um, 1912. Because of the issues with the shade and with the base, in today's market, I probably would value it between $1,000 and $2,000.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
If it were in perfect condition, it would probably be more like $2,000 to $3,000.
GUEST:
I see.
APPRAISER:
This is a market that's been softened.
GUEST:
I think I'll keep it for a while, though. Every time I look at it, I think of my grandmother.
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