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Lithophanes part 2. |
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Louis J. Hart is a passionate collector of
lithophanes.
He himself writes about this: 'My mother used to have a beautiful brass and copper tea light with a tapered
porcelain ring in it, in which the most beautiful landscapes appeared when the burner (petroleum) was lit.
I found it fascinating and was as happy as a child when I could polish the copper
again. Then the tea light was even more beautiful!' He never forgot that tea
light. He now owns not only tea lights, but also lampshades, stained glass window-hangers
and candle screens in his collection, all with the most fascinating lithophanes in which romantic
landscapes, idyllic couples, children with puppies and a few Biblical scenes can be seen. Lithophanes and magic lantern slides have a lot in common. They are both transparent and only come into their own when they are held up to the light. They are both of an engaging simplicity and date from the time when children (and adults) could still be entertained with something as simple as a projected picture on the wall or a surprisingly illuminated image in a tea light. On this page a part of his comprehensive collection: |
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Window hanger
with three small lithophanes. Girl with dog, couple in love
and 'the reprimand' (the youth still had awe for the policeman !) mounted in stained glass. |
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 Nymphenburg Porzellan, depicting 'Die Kirchgängerin' after a painting (1835) from Louis Ammy Blanc (1810-1885). Model was Gertraud Küntzel-Breitenbach. In the background the western facade of the Cologne Cathedral under construction. Size of the lithophane: 14 x 18 cm; including the leaded windows 23.5 x 26.5 cm. |
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 Beggar children eating fruit. After a painting by Bartolome Murillo (Spain 1617 - 1692). Window hanger on small chains. |
 Der kleine Photograph. Mark 1117. Height 29,5 cm. The image on this lithophane can also be found on the lamp below ..... |
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 Funnel-shaped lithophane with children and pets playing, placed on top of a hanging oil lamp. |
 The beautiful lithophane above is also depicted on the hood of this lamp. This lithophane is mentioned in the standard work of Kh.W. Steckelings, 'Leuchtender Stein, Die Geschichte der Lithophanie vom 18. bis ins 20. Jahrhundert'. It is entitled there 'Der kleine Photograph'. 
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Left: A beautiful table lamp with a bronze base and a
lampshade consisting of six trapezoid lithophanes. Above: An equally beautiful hanging lamp with a globe of lithophanes. |
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Another beautiful lamp with trapezoid lithophanes of a girl in an autumn landscape, a
barge, a river landscape, a view of Heidelberg (?), two children who herd a goat, and a mother with a child in front of the mirror. |
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| Large lithophane of a
woman who writes a letter, in a photo frame with a glass back. |
And this is the pendant of the left lithophane.
One image is entitled 'The Offer', the other 'Accepted'. |
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 These two lithophanes are also each others pendant. The lithophane above is called 'Der verliebte Alte', the amourous looking old man. The right one is made in the KPM factory and is entitled 'Ein Mädchen spottend', a girl mocking at him. A fantasy stimulating combination.... Do the two overlapping index fingers have an erotic meaning here? |
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Wooden Biedermeier
candlestand with a frame of Berlin iron. It holds a lithophane from PPM, number 557, named 'Rahel und Jacob'. |
Wooden Biedermeier
candlestand with a frame of Berlin iron. It holds a lithophane from PPM named 'Rahel und Jacob'
bei Laban. |
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Left: Standard with lithophane 'Der Krieg'.
The child with the toy sabre is really a boy. He took the doll from the girl. Above: The pendant of the previous image. The reconciliation .... "Die Versöhnung". |
Bronze standard with height-adjustable candleholder and screen. It holds a
large lithophane (18.5 x 15 cm) from PPM nr 551, called 'Mädchen am Brunnen'. |
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Beautiful small white porcelain lamp.
Personifications of the four seasons are shown on the side walls. The lamp was manufactured between 1855 and 1877 and so it is about 150 years old. It is clear to see that the baking of such complex shaped porcelain must have been very difficult in the past: the base wobbles because the legs are not the same and the lithophanes are not completely flat. However, when lit from within, it looks magical again. Size c. 17 cm h, 12 cm w, 12 cm d. |
 The small lamp consists of three parts: the base, the lamp house with the four images and a lid with holes in it for oxygen supply. That lid is lost with this sample. |
 The owner replaced the missing lid with an antique soot trap of the same colour and the same material, that fits exactly in the blank space. |
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 Winter. |
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| Spring. | Summer. | Autumn. |
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Four wonderful images on a lithophane lampshade..... |
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| .... placed on this marvellous table lamp. The image of the boy who has to keep a skein of spun wool for his grandmother is entitled 'Die Geduld-Probe'. | |
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 A rectangular version of the lithophane of grandmother with child. |
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Just another lithophane showing a 'couple amoureux'. Size 21 x 24 cm. |
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More lithophanes..... |
 
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©1997-2023 'de Luikerwaal' All rights reserved. Last update: 17-02-2023. |
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