Are these beautiful Jenny Worrall table lamps the ‘antiques of the future’? Here at Bespoke Lights we certainly think they could be and we are delighted to be authorised stockists of the full range of current designs. Many of Jenny Worrall’s earlier lamps are already collector’s items, so if these quintessentially English table lamps appeal to you why not take the plunge – not only will you be able to enjoy having the delightful lamp in your home but you could also be investing in something that could potentially increase in value over the years.
Jenny Worrall is a talented designer of glass lighting and her lamps are recognised for the attention to detail and exquisite workmanship that goes into each and every lamp. The lamps are handmade in small batches and have a classic elegant look with a delightful translucent feel and ethereal quality that is just perfect for traditional period homes. Each lamp is an individual work of art.
Working from her studio in Devon, Jenny designs these beautiful glass table lamps using the traditional Victorian technique of potichomania – this is somewhat similar to decoupage which became so popular in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Potichomania was first practised in the mid-19th century in Paris and the name derives from the French word ‘potiche’ which refers to a porcelain vase. Pictures were built up and glued or varnished to the inside surface of glass which was then painted to make it resemble fine porcelain. This was an affordable hobby in Victorian times as images could be cut from paper, photographs and prints, etc without the need to able to draw yourself. The end products were often given as gifts of friendship by Victorian ladies when calling upon each other. Well done potichomania items could certainly pass for Chinese and Japanese porcelain. The craft faded out of fashion in the late 19th century but is now having a bit of a revival thanks in no small part to Jenny and her talented team.
Jenny’s exquisitely detailed decoupage style images are set on a template and carefully printed. They are then skilfully cut out by her team of craftsmen and meticulously adhered to the inside of the glass using a grid system to ensure each piece is placed correctly. The glass bases, which are all hand blown, then go through a variety of paint and soft metallic finishes to achieve the depth of design and translucent effect that is synonymous with this iconic brand.
Jenny’s designs are inspired by the natural world and include flowers, animals and birds. Some of her most popular floral lamps have images based on paintings from the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) archives. The RHS’s Lindley Library is the largest horticultural library in the world and holds unique collections of early gardening books, botanical art and pictures. Both the lamps shown here have images inspired by RHS botanical drawings. The Arum Lily table lamp shown above left has a large urn shaped base with images of these exotic lilies depicted on a background of distressed gold backed by a soft, off white paint. On the right is the large round Collingridge lamp decorated with red autumnal vine leaves displayed on a painted background of distressed gold mixed with soft off-white.
Another selection of stunning Jenny Worrall lamps from our current collection. The small Butterfly lamp on the left is internally decorated with skilfully cut out images of Chinese Butterflies on a distressed gold background toned down with soft off-white paint. The design was inspired by a painting in the archives of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Shown in the centre is the delightful Hellebore table lamp. Hellebores are much prized by gardeners, flowering as they do in the darkest months of the year – but no need for you to be in the dark as the lamp can be switched on to illuminate the delicate images on the hand blown glass base any time you choose. A slightly more dramatic offering on the right depicts images of fruit and flowers on a strong dark mahogany background. This Chinese influenced Fruit and Flower lamp has the classic ginger jar shaped base. Traditional Chinese temple lamps were originally used to store a variety of things but when they were exported to the West they often contained preserved ginger and became more popularly known as ginger jars.
Our final trio of lamps all have images of animals. Exotic Flamingos are displayed on a painted background of distressed gold and blue on the medium oval shaped lamp shown on the left. In the centre we have monochrome images of guinea fowl on a distressed gold and off-white background. Guinea fowl are a group of ancient animals native to Africa, although we are more familiar with the domesticated breeds. One of the most popular of the current batch of Jenny’s lamps is the tall urn shaped Safari table lamp shown on the right which features antique images of African wildlife on a distressed gold and warm off white background.
We hope you love these delightful lamps as much as we do. If you are looking for the perfect gift for a special occasion these table lamps would be a lovely choice. All of our Jenny Worrall lamps are sold complete with shades but, if you have your own shade, the lamp bases can be bought separately.
To view the full range of Jenny Worrall table lamps on the Bespoke Lights website simply click on the link below