The history of lithophane lamps begins not in France, but in China. China is the original birthplace of porcelain. Only after travelers and traders learned of porcelain, did its manufacture spread to France. The migration of lithophane lamps from China to France happened in much the same way.
Although it was the Chinese who discovered the technique to use the very thin walls of porcelain vases as a canvas to imprint delicate designs of fauna, it was the French who expanded the knowledge to include complicated and detailed scenes. There was a variety of scenes that could be found on the lithophane lamps. Indeed, Baron Paul de Bourguignon is the man who embraced this process and pushed into popularity in 1827.
Baron de Bourguignon's techniques involved using a thin sheet of porcelain to carve designs in different degrees of thickness. These designs would be, and look, quite flat and two dimensional. When held up to a light source, however, the design would have a gentle form that exhibited an added dimension that made the image seem almost lifelike.
Although the concept seems almost simplistic on paper, its execution was more difficult. The designs on lithophane lamps required a master artist with immense skill and a steady hand. The drying phase often meant that more than half of the lithophane lamps would not be suitable for sale due to the likelihood of hidden cracks within the porcelain or unintentional weak spots in the artist's deistic.
In the beginning, the designs for lithographer lamps were drawn by hand one by one. It was soon realized that simple molds could be made by laying a piece of wax on top of a segment of glass. Because the wax was of different thicknesses, the designs for the lithophane lamps could be all shades of gray. This lent itself well to capturing all the nuances of color that were used in decorating the lithophane lamps.
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At the height of their popularity, many potteries in Europe made lithophane lamps. Large numbers of them were made by several German potteries including Berlin Porzellan Manufactur (B.P.M) and Koniglichen Preussische Manufactur (K.P.M.). Other porcelain factories that manufactured lithophanes were scattered throughout Europe. Some famous porcelain factories produced lithophanes through the late 19th century as well. These include the Wedgwood porcelain factory in England and some porcelain factories in Limoges, France.
Lithophane lamps are the perfect place in which to enjoy the vibrant beauty of lithophanes. Only when suitably lit could the full beauty of the lithophanes be appreciated. Lithophane lamps tended to be very creative and fancy due to the era in which they were produced. Lithophane lamps with many panels were eagerly sought after. Typically the panels were movable and could be manipulated into different geometric shapes.
Some designs of lithophane lamps that are hard to find and highly prized by collectors are those that are hollow inside. These are round, cylindrical or conical in shape and feature a variety of designs around the outside surface of the lithophane panel. In fact, almost any lamp could have a lithophane on it. These include table lamps, wall sconces, desk lamps and hurricane lamps. Because of their delicate porcelain design, finding an undamaged lithophane lamp is rare.
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