Vintage Cherub Lamp

Buy the best vintage cherub lamp selected and recommended by interior designers. By Vanessa Weber.

Vintage cherub lamps add a classy touch you see in Victorian homes. They symbolize love and create a sense of protection and guardianship inside your home. Place them on end tables, entryway tables, and nightstands, and pair them with vintage wallpaper and crown molding for a grand charm.

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Vintage Cherub Lamp

Buying Guide

An antique cherub lamp can easily be part of your Victorian décor. That might seem a bit startling since this is the same era that put ruffles on piano legs and referred to human arms and legs as “limbs.” To fully understand how a cherub lamp (which can come in several different styles) might be acceptable, you need to think about both mythology and medieval art conventions.

What's the story behind Cupid, Eros the Cherubim, and Putti?

Cupid was the Greek god of love, best known for the story of Psyche and Cupid, in which gentle Psyche disobeys her lover, and raises a lamp to look at him. Startled by his beauty, a bit of hot oil falls on him and he is forced to flee. Eros is the Greek counterpart of Cupid, sometimes considered to be the son of Aphrodite, but sometimes said to have been the first of the Greek gods, the child of night and the Deep. Eros mated with Chaos and brought forth the races of humankind.

Alongside these, there are the cherubim of the old Hebrews, possibly derived from still earlier beliefs. Originally, these beings were said to be the direct servants of God, and they were said to have four wings, four faces – an eagle, an ox, a human and a lion. By the 1400s, they had become associated with putti, plump children with wings. They were still a force with which to be reckoned, for they were thought to be the second level of angels and to have the ear of God. Consequently, they were depicted often in medieval religious art, especially that of Raphael.

How come Cherubs became popular decorations?

Cherubs, in the Victorian era, were symbolically significant. They could represent the supreme and terrible innocence of the cherubim, watching over and sometimes interceding for humankind. In the third century, BC, Bishop Valentine was martyred – supposedly for marrying Christian couples against the will of the Roman emperor. Somehow, his feast day became associated with romantic love and with fat little-winged angels who carried a bow and arrow, the better to pierce the hearts of mortals with love and desire. This meld of divinity, myth, and romanticism made cherubs acceptable decorations – at least in some places.

What are antique Cherub lamps characterized by?

A cherub lamp might include the figures of Cupid and Psyche, usually depicted as slender young people, or it might show Cupid alone. Sometimes they were decorated with putti, the fat little-winged babies so loved by Raphael. Either way, these figures were steeped in tradition and were acceptable even when the glimpse of an ankle was considered erotic.

Often made of white porcelain with the figures supporting the bulb, cherub lamps might also venture into whimsy – such as a little putto sitting astride a crescent moon, dangling a star at the end of a string, much the way a child might dangle a fishing line into a stream. This one is relatively modern, made of resin and glass. But far more of a collector’s item, another cherub lamp made of brass depicts slender androgynous angels draped in classical robes.

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22a vintage cherub lamp glass globe

22A: Vintage Cherub Lamp, Glass globe

Antique victorian cherub kerosene lamp unique

Antique victorian cherub kerosene lamp unique

Antique table lamp in Victorian style. It has brass kickstand decorated of Cherubs figurine. Porcelain lampshade with gold finishing is decorated of hanging crystals. This old-fashioned lamp is stylised on old kerosene lamp.

Antique cherub lamp 32

Vintage John Scott Figural Cherub Angel Ornate Victorian Parlor Oil Banquet Lamp | eBay

Antique Vintage Style Detailed Cherub Floor Lamp Unique One Of A Kind

Antique Vintage Style Detailed Cherub Floor Lamp Unique One Of A Kind

Antique floor lamp fitted with 8 lights. Carefully carving base is made of high quality stone and metal with gold finish. Suitable for residential and commercial premises. Stylish accent for each place.

Home accessories cherub lamps pair

Home / Accessories / Cherub Lamps-Pair

Antique Vintage Gold Gilt White Italian Ceramic 4 Putti Cherub Large Lamp

Antique Vintage Gold Gilt White Italian Ceramic 4 Putti Cherub Large Lamp

This large ceramic lamp made in antique vintage style decorated with gold is a beautiful and very impressive interior design element. All beautifully decorated will be the decoration of the stylish living room, garden and more.

French antique pair torcheres torchieres lamps candelabras putti cherubs cupids

French antique pair torcheres torchieres lamps candelabras putti cherubs cupids

An astonishing pair of antique French torchieres with upper attached candelabras. Those beauties are going to really improve your room with luster. Each piece is made in shape of a beautiful cherub that holds above his head a vintage candle holder.

Antique cherub lamp 23

Antique

Shabby cherub lamp with vintage pink

Shabby cherub lamp with vintage pink

A stunning cherub lamp that sports the vintage pink fringe on its shade and even more amazing base with a charming, gold accented cherub. It will surely prove its original appeal for all interiors.

Cherub On Swing 16" H Table Lamp with Bell Shade

Cherub On Swing 16" H Table Lamp with Bell Shade

This awesome and original table lamp is gonna be more than enjoyable for every fan of stylish and intriguing solutions. Check it out and enjoy its incredible design, best quality and the highest functionality.

Antique angel lamps

Originally, an oil lamp that is discretely converted to use electricity, this cherub beauty is here to enhance your home with antique accents. It uses a tiny low-wattage bulb at top under the hand-blown, glass chimney.

Details about pair antique vintage cherub table lamps lights fixtures

Details about Pair Antique Vintage Cherub Table Lamps Lights Fixtures ...

Antique mathew willard banquet cherub oil lamp

Antique mathew willard banquet cherub oil lamp

A stunning antique oil lamp featuring a gorgedly adorned fixture of bronze in the form of a cherub kneeling on a round base with low feet (and a light marble inset) and handling aloft an oil container. A ball lampshade is of ruby-coloured glass.

Antique 1920s electric cherub parlor lamp w crystal glass prisms

Antique 1920's Electric Cherub Parlor Lamp w Crystal Glass Prisms Ruby Shade | eBay

Antique cherub lamp 26

Antique approach to an old-fashioned and worn-off outdoor garden lamp made out of painted ceramic with a weathered layer of paint, resembling a cherub which holds an oversized light, giving the lamp a unique look.

Antique Cherub Lamp Hollywood Regency Set Of Two Brass Glass And Marble 1930s

Antique Cherub Lamp Hollywood Regency Set Of Two Brass Glass And Marble 1930s

Cherub lamps are somehow controversial decor accessory, but when two authentic vintage pieces from 1930s are in game, things change! Brass cherub gropes the ornamental base with crystal glass element and marble foundation.

Antique gone with the wind victorian oil lamp cherub baby

Antique Gone with The Wind Victorian Oil Lamp Cherub Baby Face GWTW Electrified | eBay

Gorgeous antique cast metal stained blue slag glass angel cherub

Gorgeous Antique Cast Metal Stained Blue Slag Glass Angel Cherub Table Lamp in Antiques | eBay

Vintage art deco mid century modern bronzed cast metal figural

Vintage Art Deco Mid Century Modern Bronzed Cast Metal Figural Cherub ...

Stunning Vintage Cherub Gwtw Barbola Rose Swag Hurricane Lamp W Crystals

Stunning Vintage Cherub Gwtw Barbola Rose Swag Hurricane Lamp W Crystals

This stunning vintage cherub lamp will enchant with its ornate finishing. Catching the attention with tiny crystals, this rose hurricane lamp embodies the best features of the shabby chic design.

Vintage cherub and marble lamp with crystal by vannasarmoire 52

Vintage Cherub And Marble Lamp With Crystal by VannasArmoire, $52.00

Vintage cherub figurine lamp 1

Vintage Cherub Figurine Lamp

Pair Of Vintage Capodimonte Italian Porcelain Cherub Table Lamps Metal Base B559

Pair Of Vintage Capodimonte Italian Porcelain Cherub Table Lamps Metal Base B559

A pair of vintage cherub table lamps, created of Italian porcelain, with a floral design and patina-covered base. Both lamps are handmade and emanate with antique accents, and they have no shades.

Htf Rare Vintage Italian Blanc De Chine Cherubs Sculpture Lamp Early 20th

Htf Rare Vintage Italian Blanc De Chine Cherubs Sculpture Lamp Early 20th

Straight from the early 20th century, this vintage Italian lamp has a body in shape of a gorgeous sculpture of two cherubs. The whole rests on a round base, making an awesome focal point to your home décor.

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