Viennese cold painted bronze lamp on marble base by Chotka

The cold-painted bronze lamp is set on a rectangular white-flecked black marble base. On top of the marble base are two bronze Middle Eastern male figures. One stands, and the other sits, on a red-painted bronze rug. The man on the left stands and inspects the beaded jewellery that he holds in both hands, and a collection of knives have been placed on the rug before him. On the right, a man sits and watches him, with one hand in a box and the other raised in an expressive gesture. This man appears to be the merchant, who trying to convice the customer to buy the jewellery. Both figures are bearded, and are dressed in long, yellow tunics and red-coloured turbans.

Middle Eastern goods are piled up behind the merchant. These include vases, a large fan, a table, a cabinet, a jug, a hookah, weaponry and armour, and several carpets, stacked one on top of the other. A large lantern hangs before the pile, suspended from several branches that have been bound together. The bundle of rugs creates a canopy which serves as a lamp shade, concealing the light bulb within.

This bronze lamp has been cold-painted, meaning the bronze was cast and then decorated with enamel paint once it had cooled down. This technique was popular in the early 20th Century, particularly in Vienna, Austria. This lamp has been intricately painted, with great attention paid to detail. Exceptionally, the colours are still vibrant, and have not faded over time. Orientalist, Viennese cold-painted bronzes, like this piece, are now highly collectable.

The item was designed by the skilled Austrian sculptor, Anton Chotka. Chotka produced a number of these Orientalist lamps in the early 20th Century, which were well-recieved in Europe, in particular. The piece is signed ‘Chotka’.