The Sinumbra Lamp: A 19th-Century Innovation in Lighting
The Collection of Aso O. Tavitian on March 19-21, 2025, includes examples of Sinumbra Lamps and sheds light on their place in the history of interior illumination.
During the early 19th century, significant advancements in lighting technology led to more efficient interior illumination. Following the invention of the Argand lamp by Swiss chemist Ami Argand in 1783, American scientist Benjamin Thompson, known as Count Rumford, sought to improve upon its design. To eliminate the shadows cast by Argand’s large urn-shaped fuel tank, he introduced a circular fuel reservoir, which he claimed, “got rid of all shadows preceding from the lamp.” This innovation became widely known as the astral or sinumbra (meaning “without shadow”) lamp. Patented as the “Lamp Astrale” by Frenchman Bordier-Marcet in 1809 and 1810, it gained widespread popularity for several decades as an effective and elegant lighting solution.
Typically fueled by oil and later adapted for gas and electricity, sinumbra lamps were a staple in Neoclassical and Regency interiors, often adorned with finely cast bronze, intricate detailing, and graceful silhouettes. Their ingenious design and historical significance make them highly sought after by collectors, offering a glimpse into the era’s innovations in lighting technology and decorative arts.
While this lamp bears a label for an American retailer, it was most likely produced in Birmingham, England, which was the center for the metalworking trade in England in the first half of the 19th century. The retailer’s label would have been supplied to the maker in England prior to being shipped to Philadelphia. At the time, Lewis Veron was one of the most important high-end retailers of household furnishings in the United States, supplying furnishings for The White House in 1829 and 1837.
Exhibited: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, New York, 2018-19, Augmenting the Canon: Recent Acquisitions of American Neo-Classical Decorative Arts, pp. 68-69 no. 25 illus. in color.
Henry N. Hooper (1799-1865) was a maker of mathematical instruments and an agent for the Boston Copper Company before establishing his own firm of Henry N. Hooper and Company in 1832. In addition to the typical output of a brass foundry, Hooper’s firm offered other lighting such as chandeliers, girandoles, candelabra and lamps in various patterns and finishes. The glass shade would likely have also been manufactured locally, probably by the Boston & Sandwich Glass Company on Cape Cod or the New England Glass Company in Cambridge, MA.
Exhibited: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, New York, 2018-19, Augmenting the Canon: Recent Acquisitions of American Neo-Classical Decorative Arts, pp. 74-75 no. 29A illus. in color.
Much of the lighting used in the United States during the Neo-Classical period was imported from England and France, but certain businesses here did produce a variety of lighting devices. Although this pair of lamps is unmarked and thus could have been produced either in England or America, the presence of the number “43” cast into the upper side of the iron weight inside the base of each lamp, often seen on lamps marked by Cornelius and Company of Philadelphia, strongly suggests that these lamps, too, originated in the Cornelius shop.
View all Sinumbra Lamps coming up for auction in The Collection of Aso O. Tavitian on March 19-21.
CATALOGUE ONLINE:
Friday, March 7, 2025
GALLERY PREVIEW
Friday, March 7: 9am – 5pm
Saturday, March 8: 11am – 5pm
Sunday, March 9: Closed
Monday, March 10: 9am – 5pm
Tuesday, March 11: 9am – 5pm
Wednesday, March 12: 9am – 5pm
Thursday, March 13: 9am – 5pm
Friday, March 14: 9am – 5pm
Saturday, March 15: 11am – 5pm
Sunday, March 16: Closed
Monday, March 17: 9am – 5pm
Tuesday, March 18: 9am – 5pm
The collection of garden statuary is on preview at a location a few minutes away from our Warren Street gallery. Please reach out to schedule an appointment to see the collection.