Carcel" lamp in gilded bronze, patina and frosted glass. The - Lot 205

Carcel" lamp in gilded bronze, patina and frosted glass. The globe is decorated with a semi of stars and rests on an antique-style vase flanked by swan necks. The set rests on a square base adorned with a frieze of palmettes. Empire period H_ 86 cm The globe is cracked. Electrically mounted. Expert : Stéphane Pepe The Carcel lamp was patented in Paris by watchmaker Guillaume Carcel on October 24, 1800. Two different models are on display at the Musée des Arts et Métiers in Paris. This model of lamp was invented in 1800 by Guillaume Carcel (1750-1812), a watchmaker in Paris. The Carcel lamp - for which its inventor was awarded a prize by the Académie des Sciences in 1854 - features a clockwork movement for raising the oil. The mechanism consists of a pump driven by a spring motor, which is wound up with a key. This mechanism, located at the bottom of the lamp, enabled the oil contained in the reservoir to be constantly pumped up to the wick. This continuous flow of liquid had several advantages: firstly, it prevented the wick from charring and going out; secondly, it prevented the oil from heating up and vaporizing; thirdly, with the new system, lamps no longer gave off smoke and unpleasant odors. The discovery of the Carcel lamp marked a fundamental advance in the history of lighting and revolutionized the oil lamp.