1990s Berman Palm Frond Lamp, Bespoke Gilded Shade, Newly Painted

Details

Description

At Turtle & Crane, we turn the past into stunning décor for today, and this lamp is a good example. … Read more At Turtle & Crane, we turn the past into stunning décor for today, and this lamp is a good example. The base is a late 20th century Berman, an ivory egg-shaped urn with a soft, stone-like crackle, crowned in gilded palm fronds and set on a stepped gilt plinth. It carries a Berman label and is marked 1999.7. The gilt has aged to a warm, quiet gold, and the whole piece has the easy glamour of Palm Beach Regency.

The shade is where we went to work. It is a newly painted drum, laid first in French blue bole, then gilded in silver and gold leaf in broken, irregular passes, a finish we call Fractured Gilt. Flecks of blue show through where the leaf breaks. The rubbed and worn-looking areas are intentional, a deliberate part of the finish and not wear or damage. The inside is lined in soft gold, so the lamp gives off a warm glow when it is lit. A gilt ball finial finishes the top.

The lamp stands 31 inches tall with its shade and 21 inches to the top of the socket. The base is 6 inches square, and the shade is 12 inches round. It is wired and working, with a switch at the socket and a standard bulb. Resin, brass, gold leaf, and silver leaf come together in ivory, gold, and silver, with warm brown accents, in the Hollywood Regency and Neoclassical tradition.

It belongs on a console, a bedside table, or a powder room vanity, and it is at home beside lacquered walls, faux bamboo, shagreen, and mirrored glass.

The final photograph is an AI-generated visualization of the lamp in a styled setting, shown for inspiration only. The lamp itself is as pictured in the studio photographs.

Turtle & Crane Atelier See less