Prospective purchasers are advised that several co… Read more

A pair of American Gothic Revival polychrome-patinated bronze and ivory standard lamps**

BY EDWARD F. CALDWELL & COMPANY, NEW YORK, CIRCA 1917

Details

A pair of American Gothic Revival polychrome-patinated bronze and ivory standard lamps**
By Edward F. Caldwell & Company, New York, Circa 1917
Each upright with pierced ivory tracery and a crocketed precipice enclosing a pair of Medieval kings, flanked at the base by a pair of lions supporting a shield bearing a coat-of-arms, on a rectangular breakfront plinth, electrified
25in. (63.5cm.) high (2)

Special notice

Prospective purchasers are advised that several countries prohibit the importation of property containing materials from endangered species, including but not limited to coral, ivory and tortoiseshell. Accordingly, prospective purchasers should familiarize themselves with relevant customs regulations prior to bidding if they intend to import this lot into another country.

Lot Essay

The design record from the Caldwell archives that corresponds with this lot, entered into the company ledger in 1917, clearly indicates that the lamps were made for a client called Woolworth (see image above). It is worth noting that New York's Woolworth building, a Gothic Revival "Cathedral of Commerce" and the centre of Frank Winfield Woolworth's (d.1919) empire, opened just five years earlier in 1912. Furthermore, Cass Gilbert (d.1934), architect of the Woolworth building, had served an apprenticeship in the firm of McKim, Mead & White. It was Edward Caldwell's affiliation with Stanford White, partner in the firm, that ensured that Caldwell's work would appear in the most prominent of commissions. As such, it is tempting to conclude that the present lamps were purchased for inclusion in the Woolworth corporate offices.

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