Pair Double Argand Lamps, about 1820
English (probably Birmingham)
Retailed by Baldwin Gardiner (1791–1869), New York (active in New York, 1827–47)
Gilt bronze and brass, and glass, blown and cut, with glass shades, blown, frosted, and wheel-cut, glass prisms, and glass chimneys
Each, 23 1/4 in. high, 19 5/8 in. wide, 9 5/8 in. deep (overall)
Inscribed (on embossed brass labels attached to each of the two burner tubes of each lamp): B. GARDINER / N. YORK.
This beautiful pair of double argand lamps was made in England, presumably by a Birmingham firm, at the height of the Regency period. They are particularly distinguished by their lavish use of cut glass and the finely detailed gilt bronze. That they were intended for the important New York retailer Baldwin Gardiner is evidenced by the embossed brass labels reading “B. GARDINER / N. YORK” which were applied by the manufacturer to the tubes of each of the burners.
Baldwin Gardiner was one of the most important retailers in New York, supplying a wide variety of lighting fixtures, porcelain, glass, and miscellaneous household items to wealthy clients in New York and beyond.