18TH CENTURY DOUBLE-CRUSIE LAMP (SOLD)

This is a nice example of an 18^th century double-crusie lamp or “Phoebe”. It is a domestic lamp with origins in Scotland and Ireland. It measures 5 ½” high and the bottom pan is 3” wide. The double bowl variety was sometimes called a Phoebe lamp; the upper bowl contained oil or grease, and the bottom bowl caught the fuel drippings.

These lamps burned any grease, scraps of fat, fish, or whale oil. The wick was usually a piece of twisted cotton. They smoked considerably, especially fish which had a rank smell and gave the poorest light. The top section could be adjusted forward to improve the flow of oil to the wick. After 1760 the basic fuel would just be whale oil. It is in very nice condition with no rust or dents.