Russian Pattern Cut Glass Oil Lamp by Hawkes

This extraordinary American Brilliant Period cut glass oil lamp was made by the renowned Hawkes Company. Crafted in the prized Russian pattern, the lamp displays the deeply cut and highly polished pyramidal stars and strawberry diamonds that are hallmarks of this motif. Each detail of the lamp is entirely original, even the cut chimney that surmounts the impressive design. Large cut glass oil lamps such as this are quite rare, and very few survive today.

The sought-after Russian pattern is considered one of, if not the most famed motifs of American Brilliant Period cut glass, so much so that it was used for glassware at the American Embassy in Russia, the Russian Embassy in the United States and the White House.

Founded in 1880 by Thomas G. Hawkes, the Hawkes Company was making glass for the White House by 1886. The firm's Grand Prize win at the 1889 Paris Exhibition propelled Hawkes' world-wide reputation. By the 20th century, American cut glass was world-renowned, with Hawkes's Cut Glass Company providing some of the most exceptional and stunning pieces of the period.

A similar lamp is featured in The American Cut Glass Industry: T.J. Hawkes and His Competitors by Jane Shadel Spillman, page 190.

Circa 1885

9" diameter x 22 1/2" high