Antique Cherub Lamp

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.