Up for auction at the Grand Antique Mall located in Cincinnati, Ohio is an Antique Austrian Cold-Painted Bronze Spelter Sculpture Table Lamp crafted in Vienna in the late 19th/early 20th century and in fine working condition. While the piece primarily functions as a lamp today, it originally served as a lively piece of narrative sculpture. Only later was an electric bulb added. The lamp's scene features two merchants, one seated on a camel, the other standing. Dressed in long tunics and head scarves, the two men conduct business beneath a colorful, many patterned, oriental rug. Circa: 1890-1900.

Several layers of dust paint decorate the lamp —  the recipe for the mixture now lost. The lamp was most likely cast at the Bergmann foundry in Vienna. The elder Bergmann, a professional chaser from Gablonz/Bohemia, moved to Vienna and founded a small bronze factory in 1860. His son, Franz Xavier Bergmann (1861–1936), continued the business and opened a second Vienna foundry in 1900.

Cold-painted lamps were exported from Austria to London, Paris, and New York, and sold as collectables. The lamps continue to be highly sought-after by collectors and enthusiasts alike. 

Dimensions: 11.5”H x 6”W x 4.5”D

Figures in scene: 4.25”H

Weight: 3.20 lbs.

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