A fantastic pair of Novelty owl oil lamps made in France for William Whiteley (retailer) of Westbourne Grove, London.
The lamps stand 48cm tall overall and are beautifully modelled, the owls being a glossy dark taupe brown with vibrant orangey yellow glass eyes.
Although identical, only one of the owls has the back-stamp for William Whiteley.
Condition
As per my pictures, one owl has nibbles to the base rim. In all other respects, the pair are In beautiful condition.
These oil lamps came to me with just the original collars, so to bring them back to life, new good quality Gaudard burners have been fitted along with new galleries, shades and chimneys.