A Six-Light Gasolier

New York, New York
Circa 1855
Fellows, Hoffman & Company

Manufactured by Fellows, Hoffman & Company, this spectacular six-light gasolier is a rare example of American gaslighting featuring six classical maidens standing under palm trees. A rare pattern in patinated and gilt lacquered finish, this is adorned with poet busts, foliate, floral, and fruit elements. The fine canopy is uniquely accented with pine cones

A drawing of a four-light example is included in the Fellows, Hoffman & Company 1857-1859 catalog. In the reference, Gaslighting in America, it is stated that two others related to this example are known, both of which are four-light examples. One of these is at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute and the other in a private collection.

Featured on the cover of the museum’s hundredth anniversary exhibition catalog, a similar, but less sophisticated example with figures is in the collections at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. For a related four-light example see Archive, D-313.

References: D’Ambrosio, Masterpieces of American Furniture from the Munson-Proctor-Williams Institute, 1999, p. 25, Fig. 19.

Myers, Gaslighting in America, 1978, pp. 86-89, Plates 39-40.

Metropolitan Museum of Art, 19th Century America, no. 135.

Spelter, brass, and glass
Height: 73” Diameter: 39”
D183
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