Balustrade Table Lamp Pair Hand Carved 20th Century

Pair of hand carved wood balustrades converted into a pair of table lamps.

The balustrade is a part of a staircase, between the rail and the floor, acting mainly as supports for the banisters. Balustrades were made of many types of materials, such as wood, plaster, and metal, and some were intricately carved. The balustrade example above is hand carved of a dark wood, crowned with a black tole lamp shade.

Balustrades were made in many shapes, the most common shape being that resembling a pomegranate flower, with a swelling lower portion tapering to a thin upper portion, then swelling slightly once more to form the top. This shape is also called a vasiform shape, as it resembles the shape of a vase.

The shape of the balustrade listed above is an urn type of shape, however, this particular pair of balustrades features many squared shapes, including the central urn shape. This central shape, instead of being rounded, flares out to sharp edges in the center of the urn. It then tapers above and below, more so above than below, to meet the plinth below, and the pedestal above.

In the 19th Century, balustrades were converted into a variety of different ornamental objects, including lamps and lighting objects. This pair of balustrade lamps is an example of such a conversion. The balustrade is heavy, as its original design and intention were as the support of the handrail of a staircase. This particular pair of balustrades is exceptionally heavy and massive, and is composed of many sharp angles and forms.

The pair of balustrades described above may be found here

Burl Walnut Louis Philippe Commode with 3 Drawers

Louis Philippe Commode 3 Drawer Burl Walnut Veneer Gray Marble Top

Burl walnut was and is one of the favored woods of furniture makers. It brings incomparable beauty to any piece, with its interesting and intricate natural design. Burl walnut is very rare, and generally in furniture is used as a veneer.

An example of the use of burl walnut as a veneer on furniture is the piece listed on d-vers.com, here This three drawer commode is made in the Louis Philippe period, and features a fine veneer of burl walnut on the drawers, front, and sides, as well as on the feet. This fine piece of furniture is quite beautiful, and it is obvious upon viewing why the use of burl walnut was so in vogue.

The burl walnut creates such an interesting design on the front and sides of the piece, where the veneers are placed in a very flattering way due to the incredible skill of the artisan who made it. Dove tailed drawers and intricately detailed drawer pulls and locks make this a very unique piece. Such a piece as this can never be replicated exactly, whether in burl walnut or another type of wood. The designs seen on this piece will never be seen again on any other piece.

The burls in burl walnut are anomalies, which is why they are so prized by furniture makers. These anomalies are usually caused by some type of stress, whose results are unpredictable. Large burls can form on certain types of trees, but they take a very long time to form. This is in part what makes the burls so costly. Veneers for furniture are typically made from a cross section of the burl, which shows the beautiful veining and streaking that can be seen in the furniture piece above.

The burl walnut piece listed on d-vers.com is in excellent condition, with a beautiful shine to the burl wood. Topped with gray marble veined with white, it is an excellent complement to the burl wood. You may view the furniture piece here