A Russian neoclassical ormolu and grey porphyry two-light 'miracle' bouillotte lamp circa 1805

the grey porphyry base with a pierced ormolu gallery, a patinated feather-form handle, and a pair of scrolled candle branches issuing from dolphins, the uprights fitted with an adjustable ormolu frame enclosing a biscuit plaque depicting St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna; on scrolled leafy feet.

Lamps of this type were found in the drawing rooms of fashionable Russian society in the early 19th century and they seem to be an out-growth of the bouillotte lamp which had been popularised in France at the end of the 18th century.  They were frequently fitted with a sheet of porcelain as on the present example,with illustrations in low relief, known as 'lithophanies'.  The image could only be seen when illuminated from behind hence the term 'miracle lamps'.  The subjects were varied and they were produced in the porcelain factories of Berlin and St. Petersburg.  These lamps were sometimes fitted with a semi-transparent screen which consisted of a watercolor enclosed on both sides by mica.  When the candles were lit, the screen glowed, seemingly bringing the picture to life (for a full discussion of these lamps see, Igor Sychev, Russian Bronze, Moscow, 2003, pp. 126-128, see also, Igor Sychev, The Russian Chandeliers 1760-1830, 2003, pp. 145-149).