拍品專文
In 1783, the chemist Ami Argand (1759 - 1803) invented an oil lamp burner that burned ten-times brighter than a candle. The lamp primarily used rapeseed oil, which was particularly viscuous and could not be conducted with a wick. Thus the reservoir of oil was placed higher than in previous lamp designs so that the oil could travel through the effect of gravity. This burner became an immense success for the form as much as for the light it provided, but was soon replaced by the sinumbre oil lamp, which also produced a bright light and without a shadow. A number of lamps similar to the present lot are illustrated in J. Bourne and V. Brett, L'Art du Luminaire, Flammarion, Paris, pp. 132-137.