A very old ceramic night lamp...

I really like this old French ceramic night lamp. It belongs to my mother who tells me it is well over 100 years old as it was passed on in the family. She thinks it dates back to Napoleon days. We have the original light and wiring (which I took out and replaced with new ones. However the old bulb and wires can be put back in anytime. She has it displayed in a glass display case. I did notice a couple of numbers on one side. 6983 and directly below it, 778

It's 15 1/2 cm tall. The holes on top of the head and just below the neck line were to disperse the heat. It is in mint condition. I just tought it should be displayed on your site as I do not think there is another one quite like it around.

Well, here again I learned something about this beautiful lamp. I received expert details about this lamp from Mr. Bauer of Germany after he took a close look at the photos posted here. Here is what he wrote:

"The porcelain owl is a "smoke consumer". It is missing a part: The owl sitting on a pile of books. This sit a water tank. In this box, one fills a glass of water with perfume oil. The light in the owl is warm and the fragrance oil can escape through the holes in the owl. I know this owl also from my childhood. My grandfather was a heavy smoker and this owl has been used very often ...
These lamps have been around 1920 ... 1950/60 produced. They are found very often today in the antique market."