A Good American Gilt Bronze Three Piece Argand Garniture, mid 19th c , finely cast with fruit and foliage, the reservoirs on caryatid standards, shaped bases, the shades cut and acid etched in floral motif, one as is, height 20in E5000/7000 Note: The Argand burner was patented by Swiss chemist Amie Argand in 1784 It revolutionized lighting technology, and came to dominate oil-burning fixtures for the next century. Its great advantage lay in a hollow, cylindrical wick fitted between two metal tubes. This innovation increased air flow over the wick's surface area and permitted more complete fuel combustion. The result was a brilliant flame largely free of smoke and odor. The Argand burner is found on many types and styles of fixtures, but is most associated with a particular lamp style known today as the " Argand lamp". These are actually mantel-arm lamps, so called because, during the second quarter of the 19th century, they were popular mantel garnitures in fashionable homes. They were usually manufactured in sets of three: a double-arm fixture for the center of the mantel and single arms for either side. Often cast in bronze with ormolu mounts and gilt decoration, most are Classical in design, sometimes with restrained Rococo elements. The lamp's shaft supports a large reservoir raised above the oil tubes and burners, which it fed by gravity. These lamps had both chimneys and shades. The clear glass chimney helped circulate heated air around the wick's exterior. The tulip-shaped shade, usually acid-etched and cut in grape and foliate patterns, was purely decorative. In Europe, the preferred fuel w as colza oil manufactured from cabbage seed. Americans frequently used whale oil in Argand burners. Both fuels were expensive, as were the lamps, so they were usually found only in the parlors of the wealthy. Both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson had early silverplate lamps with Argand burners in their homes.