18thC HAND FORGED RUSH/CANDLE LIGHT w/TURNED WOOD BA (07/04/2009)...

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18thC HAND FORGED RUSH/CANDLE LIGHT w/TURNED WOOD BASE

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18thC HAND FORGED RUSH/CANDLE LIGHT w/TURNED WOOD BASE

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Sold Date: 07/04/2009
Channel: Online Auction
Source: eBay
Category: Ethnic, Folk & Native American Art

~ VERY RARE 18thC HAND FORGED IRON RUSH & CANDLE LIGHT w/TURNED WOOD BASE ~

~ VERY RARE 18TH CENTURY HAND FORGED IRON COMBINATION RUSH & CANDLE LAMP WITH TURNED WOOD BASE ~

~ Excellent Condition/Natural Warm Age-Worn Patina ~

~ BUY IT NOW/BEST OFFER/FREE SHIPPING ~

Presenting another rare primitive lighting example that I was fortunate enough to obtain from the private collection of a family that spans two generations! T are many more to come including 17th and 18th century rush, candle, hanging betty, crusie, brass and whale oil lamps. This piece is far too rare and valuable to list in auction format as I always strive to do. Tfore I am offering this extremely rare example in a reasonable Buy It Now/Best Offer listing with all serious offers given consideration. I've run across one or two in the past in antique shops selling for over $1,000! Combination rush and candle lamps are extremely difficult to come by. If you find one, chances are it will be a reproduction. This is a guaranteed genuine primitive hand wrought antique piece. Every example I'll be listing is fresh to market and came from the same two generation family collection.

This is a very rare, genuine and all original hand wrought combination rush lamp with candle holder dating to the late 17th/early 18th century. Chock full of character and crudity, it has a wonderful 4" high turned wood base. The wood is original to the piece and untouched and has developed a wonderful warm dark age-worn patina as has the hand wrought iron. The base also has a naturally ocurring thin tight split on one side consistent with it's extreme age. The beautiful patina of the wood and the thin tight split in the wood confirm it's extreme age. This only adds more character and authenticity to a magnificent example of early primitive lighting. Included is a picture of how these pieces were used. Please see below...

One can easily see the primitive hand forged craftsmanship on the iron rush lamp and candle holder, all forged from the same piece of iron. The shaft is solidly embedded in the original elm or maple beautifully turned wooden base with multiple ridges and turnings. A single hand forged iron rivet serves as the hinge for the forged iron "nips" or ends that held the burning piece of rush or split wood as it burned. The nips operate perfectly as designed. The 1 3/4" high candle holder is forged from the same piece of iron and also serves as a "handle" to spread the nips of the rush light apart. The hand forged craftsmanship is unparalleled. From my research it appears the Rush light originated in the Scotland area and the idea migrated in early America. Most likely the addition of the candle holder originated in early America.

A brief insight into the origins of these primitive light sources follows:

" Rushlights were used as a light source. With the introduction of a Candle Tax in 1709, rushes became the cheaper alternative. Pith from common Field Rushes was dipped in animal fat and burnt in the jaws of the rushlight or "Nip". I n fact this sort of rush-light was in use down to the time when the farmers gave up making their own candles.

The Seaves (Rushes) were gatd at certain places on the moors by parties of gatrs, who went out to get them in the autumn or late summer. They chose the largest and strongest, from which they stripped off the outer skin, so as to enable the tissues to imbibe the melted fat into which they were dipped. As the same places were visited year after year, they were known by names like "Seavy Hill" etc."

Dimensions: 11" overall height. The hand wrought iron rush and candle holder is 7" high from the wood base. The turned wood base is 4" high with a base diameter of 3". Candle holder diameter is 3/4".

Condition: Excellent and all original with no condition issues but for the natural thin age split in the wood base.

This is an extremely rare and valuable primitive example of a hand forged iron combination rush ligh...