Rare Pair of Caldwell Company Signed Wedgwood Jasperware Doré Bronze Sconces

Edward F. Caldwell Co. was among America’s preeminent lighting manufacturers of the late 19th to the mid-20th centuries, illuminating the halls and ceilings of some of the most notable buildings in the United States. In addition to St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City and the White House in Washington, D.C., the company’s masterful light fixtures also adorn the homes of some historically prominent figures, such as J.P. Morgan and Phillip Lehman.

The firm was founded in 1895 by American Edward F. Caldwell and Victor F. von Lossberg, a Latvia native who was raised in Russia. The founders became acquainted while working at Archer Pancoast Manufacturing Company of New York, which produced gas lighting fixtures.

In 1901 Edward F. Caldwell Co. opened a foundry, where the owners and the lighting artisans they recruited could explore a range of metalworking techniques and design styles. Caldwell and von Lossberg quickly rose to the top of the electric light manufacturing business with their shared vision, choosing to deliver quality elegant fixtures that frequently drew on historic European designs. The firm produced magnificent lighting pieces, as well as finely crafted decorative objects and mirrors. Their neoclassical designs borrowed heavily from Baroque and Rococo styles — Edward F. Caldwell Co. also devised Art Deco fixtures during the 1920s — and favored bronze, silver, iron, copper and brass as their primary materials.

With construction on the rise in New York in the early 1900s, not many outfits could take on large-scale lighting contracts. With over 1,000 employees, Edward F. Caldwell Co. could take on heavy commissions.

After Caldwell died in 1914, von Lossberg carried the company until he died in 1942. Edward F. Caldwell Co. closed its doors owing to financial troubles in 1959.

Today manufacturer’s work can be seen all across New York City — including at the Bank of Manhattan and the famous Waldorf Astoria hotel — and Edward F. Caldwell Co. creations are highly sought after by lighting and decor enthusiasts.

On 1stDibs, explore a selection of vintage Edward F. Caldwell Co. table lamps, chandeliers and pendants, sconces and floor lamps.

Arguably the most celebrated of all English ceramics makers, Wedgwood was founded in 1759 by potter Josiah Wedgwood (1730–95) in Staffordshire, which was home at one time to hundreds of pottery workshops. The company is famed for its Jasperware — molded neoclassical stoneware vases, plates and other pieces inspired by ancient cameo glass, featuring white figures, scenes and decorative elements set in relief on a matte-colored background. The best-known background hue is light blue, but Wedgwood’s iconic silhouettes also appear on green, lilac, yellow, black and even white grounds. Some antique Wedgwood dinnerware pieces and other items feature three or more colors.

The Wedgwood firm first came to prominence for its tableware, which quickly gained favor in aristocratic households throughout Britain and Europe. In 1765, Wedgwood was commissioned to create a cream-colored earthenware service for Queen Charlotte, consort of King George III. The queen was so thrilled with her new china that Wedgwood was given permission to call himself “Potter to Her Majesty,” and the decorative style became known as Queen’s Ware. 

Not to be outdone, Catherine the Great of Russia commissioned her own set of Wedgwood china in 1773. Nearly 200 years later, the firm created a 1,200-piece service for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. In recent years, leading designers including Jasper Conran and Vera Wang have collaborated with Wedgwood — in the tradition of such distinguished 18th-century artists such as the painter George Stubbs and metalsmith Matthew Boulton.

From plates and other dinnerware to decorative items like urns, cachepots and candlesticks, Wedgwood designs lend a traditional air to Anglophile interiors. And even if you have to make your own tea, you may find it comforting to sip it from a delicate cup that was manufactured in the same Stoke-on-Trent kiln that produced Her Majesty’s tea service. Be sure to keep your pinky raised.

Find antique Wedgwood pottery on 1stDibs.