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Pair of Sinumbra Lamps
Cornelius and Companyc. 1827–31
- Attribution
- Cornelius and Company (American, 1839–1851)
- Medium
- Gilded brass, bronze, and glass
- Physical dimensions
- H.: 51.4 cm (20 1/4 in.)
- Credit line
- Purchased with funds provided by Mrs. Herbert A. Vance
CATALOGUE RECORD
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Source rights statement: Public domain
View the museum record ↗From the museum
This type of lighting device, popularly referred to as a sinumbra (without shadow) lamp, was conceived to help reduce the shadows created by the more elaborate Argand lamp. American firms such as Cornelius and Company may have created sinumbra lamps, perhaps modeled after French examples, in order to compete with European imports. Replete with classically inspired decoration, this pair of lamps would have been used in a fashionable domestic parlor.
Description: Art Institute of Chicago · CC BY 4.0