Accurate Description of Item
One Early 20th Century Italian Alabaster lamp
Appraiser Remarks
Based on the images and the marking, this lamp is actually made of Alabasterr, a marble like substance that is softer and easier to carve than marble. You can test for alabaster. Alabaster is very soft compared to marble on the Moh's hardness scale , alabaster only rates 2-2.5 on the Mohs hardness scale and can be scratched with a copper penny. Marble rates 3-5 on the same scale and generally requires a pen knife blade to scratch test it.
Alabaster pieces like this tend to originate from Italy and date from the first quarter of the 20th century. Very few of these pieces are signed or carry any markings to indicate a maker, so identifying a maker without a provenance is unlikely. They were made in relatively large numbers for the Tourist and Export market, so are not considered all that rare, but examples like these often retail for over $800.00.
Alabaster pieces like this tend to originate from Italy and date from the first quarter of the 20th century. Very few of these pieces are signed or carry any markings to indicate a maker, so identifying a maker without a provenance is unlikely. They were made in relatively large numbers for the Tourist and Export market, so are not considered all that rare, but examples like these often retail for over $800.00.
Estimated Value
$1000.00-$1500.00
Re: Italian Sculpture - marble?
One Early 20th Century Italian Alabaster lamp
Based on the images and the marking, this lamp is actually made of Alabasterr, a marble like substance that is softer and easier to carve than marble. You can test for alabaster. Alabaster is very soft compared to marble on the Moh's hardness scale , alabaster only rates 2-2.5 on the Mohs hardness scale and can be scratched with a copper penny. Marble rates 3-5 on the same scale and generally requires a pen knife blade to scratch test it.
Alabaster pieces like this tend to originate from Italy and date from the first quarter of the 20th century. Very few of these pieces are signed or carry any markings to indicate a maker, so identifying a maker without a provenance is unlikely. They were made in relatively large numbers for the Tourist and Export market, so are not considered all that rare, but examples like these often retail for over $800.00.