Hello ARLIS hivemind,
I have a patron who inherited a newel lamp that she would like to learn more about, and I am a bit stumped as to where to direct her. This piece is outside the scope of our library collection and my personal expertise.
The most I have been able to glean is that the lamp was likely French make, and the figure is likely a depiction of the god Mars. I have referred her to the Cooper Hewitt library as a possible source of information since they have many trade catalogs in their collection, and also the
Smithsonian Decorative Arts and Design Research Guide for other possible avenues of research.
The patron is interested in learning more about the designer, the fabricator, the year of manufacture, and the number of copies made. I am looking for any other suggestions of where she might be able to search for more information; other repositories that have collections of trade catalogs in the decorative arts for lighting, or online resources that would be especially helpful. The patron is located in California.
Thank you in advance for your ideas!
Beth GoodrichLibrarian
Direct: 612-206-3118
1224 Marshall Street NE, Suite 200
Minneapolis, MN 55413