Vintage Small French Ship's Lamp by Barbier, Bénard & Turenne, Paris – Kerosene Lamp with Clear Lens Glass

A small French kerosene ship’s lamp with a brass plate on the front reading: BARBIER, BÉNARD & TURENNE, RUE CURIAL, 82, PARIS. Barbier, Bénard & Turenne was a Parisian firm that ranked among the leading manufacturers of lighthouse optics in the late nineteenth century.

The front is semicircular, with a clear Fresnel lens. The glass is unmarked. Inside is a brass wick holder with a star-marked adjustment wheel, mounted on a round fuel tank with a square base plate. I have sealed the tank with a fuel tank sealer.

The back is flat and consists of a hinged door with a wire catch. On the door is a raised square section with a round hole, which suggests to me that an electric lighting insert could also have been fitted. Partly for this reason, I estimate that the lamp dates from between 1940 and 1960. A round chimney cap with a wire carrying handle sits on top.

As shown, the lamp is in working order.

Specifications

• Manufacturer: Barbier, Bénard & Turenne, Paris

• Marking: brass plate reading BARBIER, BÉNARD & TURENNE / RUE CURIAL, 82 / PARIS

• Light source: kerosene, with a brass wick holder

• Glass: Fresnel lens

• Date: probably 1940–1960

• Height: 20 cm

• Width: 11.5 cm

• Condition: tank sealed with fuel tank sealer