Pair of Sinumbra Lamps

c. 1827–31

Cornelius and Company (American, 1839–1851)

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.

Status: On View, Gallery 172
Department: Arts of the Americas

Artist: Cornelius and Company (Maker)
Title: Pair of Sinumbra Lamps
Place: Philadelphia (Object made in)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: c. 1827–1831
Medium: Gilded brass, bronze, and glass
Dimensions: H.: 51.4 cm (20 1/4 in.)
Credit Line: Purchased with funds provided by Mrs. Herbert A. Vance
Reference Number: 2002.18.1-2
IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.: https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/158978/manifest.json

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Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

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IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.

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IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.