I found this online. Kinda scary, right? But the price was quite good. Still…the finish scared me. Was it spray-painted gold? If so, ugh. A nightmare to remove. Still…the price was good. So, I took a chance and purchased it.
And may ye faith be rewarded! Wow! The “gold” finish proved to be decades of nicotine! Ugh! I took the whole thing apart, washed each part, and scrubbed every bit with a Magic Eraser (love love love Magic Eraser!). Under, was the original finish, a kinda pewter, and gold! Lovely!
Yummy. I love the detailing in high relief!
YUMMY!
My online vintage lighting store.
That is amazing. Just the solid metal tassel got me. And then you focused on the high-relief area. That is a work of art. And so graceful. Just beautiful.
Ugh, nicotine. Sticky, yucky nicotine. I sure hope you were wearing gloves. Stains your hands and some must get absorbed into the bloodstream through the skin. All those years of living with a smoker and working in offices where smoking at your desk was a God-given right! That old, moldy, yucky, nose-burning smell of abandoned buildings must be in part from nicotine.
EW! Good grief. This was truly a rescue mission. Well done!
Looks great! The pan lights I’m restoring for our house have a very similar finish (polished brass details with matte goldish paint finish on the majority).
They also have cast metal tassels 🙂