Medieval Lamp – 100% handmade!

Each medieval lamp is handmade by us, so every lamp has its own character and mood. Rest assured – each lamp is truly unique. With great skill and love, these medieval lamps are crafted to last for ages. All lamps are made either from oak or from other local, stable hardwoods, so your medieval lamp will serve you well for many decades to come!

The lamp frames are covered with rawhides of such animals as goat, wild boar, cow split, deer, or horse.

In the detailed description of each individual medieval lamp, you can see which hide has been used.
The seams are made with sinew or with self-cut rawhide strips.
The purchased medieval lamp is ready to use immediately – either standing or hanging from a cord that is attached directly to the lamp.
For more ergonomic removal of candles, Frankwart has made a candle lifter that allows easier handling (without burning your fingers).

Medieval Lamp Variants

1. Variant 1 – small

• Height: 16 cm
• Diameter: 10 cm
• Wood: oak / spruce
• Rawhide: deer, goat, wild boar, horse

       2. Variant 2 – medium

• Height: 20 cm
• Diameter: 13 cm
• Wood: oak / spruce
• Rawhide: bull, deer, horse, wild boar

      3. Variant 3 – large

• Height: 24 cm
• Diameter: 15.5 cm
• Wood: oak / spruce
• Rawhide: bull, horse, wild boar

Do you prefer square lamps? Click here.

Details

• Frankwart is a good acquaintance of ours and a highly respected craftsman in the scene.
• A medieval lamp provides a pleasant warm light, each with a different shade of color, depending on the rawhide that has been processed.
  In the Middle Ages, glass existed, but it was too expensive to produce.
• The first proper lanterns only appeared with the development of the Argand lamp in the 18th century. Whether there was a medieval lamp in the form of a lantern exactly like this is hard to say – after all, it consists entirely of natural materials that can be quickly decomposed by nature.
• What is definitely known to have existed are fire bowls, clay lamps, splinters of fatwood, and candles. Nevertheless, such a medieval lamp makes sense and could very well have been used this way. In today’s medieval reenactment, it has become indispensable.
• In Slavic culture, in addition to the above, there were special holders for fire sticks (“Luchina”). These looked like forks that were hammered with their pointed end into a piece of wood, and the fork held the wooden stick. This holder, along with the wooden block as a weight, stood in a bowl of water. The water served as fire protection, simultaneously reflected the light, and made the illumination brighter.

Care

A medieval lamp requires almost no care. The wood can be treated with a hard oil. If you like, you can also treat the rawhide with it (externally). This makes the lamp more transparent and brighter.

Tips & Tricks

Use tea lights – they have an optimal flame height and go out if the lamp tips over (fire safety).
Do not use pillar lights under any circumstances – they have a very high oil content and an outer plastic shell that could burn.
Remove soot deposits from the candles from the inside from time to time.