Chinese Antiques

Porcelain Oil Lamp

Lighthouse Ball Oil Lamp, black $99.95 Color:Black Outdoor torches create a warm atmosphere in your garden all-year-round. This floor torch is designed by Christian Bjrn, who designed Menus award-winning Lighthouse series. The ball torch is Bjrns modern reinterpretation of a traditional, American-road torch: An elegant, modern design torch with a significant Scandinavian expression, just like Lighthouse. The weather-resistant torches a…

Glo Brite LC29 Rosie Glo Porcelain Oil Lamp $16.45 This little porcelain oil lamp is a perfect gift. 10-inch tall, brass burner and glass globe….

Lighthouse Ball Oil Lamp, White $99.95 Color:White Outdoor torches create a warm atmosphere in your garden all-year-round. This floor torch is designed by Christian Bjrn, who designed Menus award-winning Lighthouse series. The ball torch is Bjrns modern reinterpretation of a traditional, American-road torch: An elegant, modern design torch with a significant Scandinavian expression, just like Lighthouse. The weather-resistant torches a…

Aura Cacia Ceramic Aromatherapy Lamp Ring 1ea $4.95 Aura Cacia’s ceramic lamp ring gives you a wonderful way to enjoy the benefits of aromatherapy. Designed to fit most standard light bulbs, lamp rings are convenient and easy to use. Add Aura Cacia 100% pure essential oils to your lamp ring to enhance your mood and freshen the air in your home or office….

Porcelain Tulip Fun Flower Oil Warmer Warmers Figures $9.95 Artistic tulip shapes cut into the bases of these oil warmers allow fun flower figures to shine on the walls. Porcelain. Tealights only (not included). 3 3/4″ diameter x 41/2″ high. Set of 3…

Pacifique Porcelain Fragrance Diffuser, Coral Design $59.99 This is a beautiful scented oil diffuser in the Coral design. Fragrance: Pacifique (Ocean theme). You can also use this diffuser with your choice of scented oil. Also available in Starfish & Shell Design….

Coleman Road Trip Cast-Iron Griddle $27.54 The Coleman(r) RoadTrip(r) griddle, a portable accessory that allows for endless meal ideas, can be mixed and matched with your RoadTrip(r) grill, stove grate or any other griddle for the perfect tailgate spread. The cast-iron construction is porcelain-coated for durability….

Lighthouse Oil Lamp 350, White $99.95 Size:18, Color:White The Lighthouse oil lamps are equipped with a newly developed oil burner that really lights up the night. This oil lamp doesn’t burn with just a little flame, it burns like a fantastic bonfire!’ exclaims the designer Christian Bjrn. Furthermore, the Lighthouse oil lamps have a unique filling system that makes it possible to fill the oil from above, so there’s no need to take th…

Table Lamps – Japanese Tokkuri or Saké Bottle Lamps

Saké is a traditional Japanese liquor made from rice and water.  It is produced from a fermentation and filtration process.  Known in the west as “Saké” but in Japan as “Nihonshu”, Saké is a general term for alcohol.

The fermented Saké is initially a milky colour but is filtered by pressing through a mesh to produce a clear liquid.  The Japanese production of Saké is an ancient tradition with evidence as far back as the 3rd century B.C.  As with so many Japanese traditional practices, Saké has its own specialised ceramics.  The central shape being the Tokkuri or 

Saké bottle

These containers were developed into a ceramic art form and many were produced by small family potteries.  The majority were produced as earthenware specifically known to the Japanese as “stone textured”.  Very often the brewer ordered the Tokkuri from the potter, who then wrote the name of the brewer in Japanese characters or in flowing script as shown by our examples.

As today, when the customer returned the empty Tokkuri to the brewer, he received a rebate on the refill!  The Tokkuri were constantly recycled and used for oil, lamp oil, vinegar and for a wide range of domestic uses.  In keeping with this tradition, The Antique & Vintage Table Lamp Co have recycled the Tokkuri now seen on their site as table lamps, robust and full of character.

Saké is normally consumed cold in the summer and warm in the winter.  Warming is today achieved by standing the now small porcelain Tokkuri in a container of hot water.  In earlier times the stone textured Tokkuri were also warmed in hot water but were commonly suspended over a low coal fire to heat the Saké.  The Japanese block print illustrated, circa 1820, shows this traditional method.

In the vast Japanese literary tradition, the Haiku or 16 syllable poem is found “in praise of the Tokkuri.

Two Tokkuri

The misty world

Seems to float

Anon

 and this haiku by Issa’s – 1824

Living alone

Just one Tokkuri

For drinking away the years

This haiku refers to an end of year drinking party, but in this house, (Issa’s), every day is new years eve!

The Antique & Vintage Table Lamp Co currently have 3 tokkuri table lamps.  Two are stone textured in the traditional “Rosuku” shape and one rather elegant smaller version of monochrome glazed earthenware.  These “robust and honest” lamps have a timeless ability to fit very comfortably into both the traditional and contemporary interior, being at home in either setting

The traditional wheel potted Tokkuri virtually disappeared after 1945 along with many typical Japanese domestic art and craft form

s.

 A 19th century Japanese stoneware sake bottle or “Tokkuri” as a table lamp.
The bold black characters, the name of the brewer

The table lamp on a turned & polished maple wood stand.    Early Meiji – Circa 1880    Overall height (including shade) 21″/53cm

The Antique & Vintage Table Lamp Co specialise in antique table lamp lighting with an on-line range of over 100 unique, antique and vintage lamps on view.

Lamps are shipped ready wired for the U.S, the U.K and Australia.

You are invited to visit their web site at www.antiquelampshop.com

© The Antique & Vintage Table Lamp Co 2009

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