Small Vintage Wall Lantern on a Goose Neck Bracket - Copper Shade

This is the Goose Neck teardrop wall lantern with a hand spun copper head in place of the painted one. The copper is the whole point of the version: it arrives bright, dulls back within a few weeks, darkens through brown over a year or two and settles towards green over far longer. That movement is the reason people choose it over the black one, and it is worth knowing before you buy that the light you unpack is not the light you will have in five years. The arm underneath stays galvanised steel in gloss black, so the copper reads as a head rather than a whole fitting.

It measures 460mm tall by 470mm across and weighs 5.60KG. The shade caps the lamp and pushes light downwards over a clear polycarbonate cylinder, so it lights a doorway, a yard or a path rather than throwing glare sideways. Copper suits brick, stone, render and timber, and it sits comfortably beside brass and bronze. It is a harder match against cool grey render or a very modern white elevation, and a single copper light on an otherwise black scheme tends to read as a mistake rather than a choice, so it is worth buying copper for the whole elevation or none of it.

Harte rate it IP44 for splashing from any direction. The lamp is an E27 screw fitting supplied without a bulb, so the output and colour stay yours; 7W at 2700K suits the warm look of the metal. Avoid metal polish unless you actively want the bright finish back, because taking the patina off starts the weathering cycle again. Everything is made to order in New Ross, County Wexford, so allow two to five weeks. Outdoor wiring needs a qualified electrician on a protected circuit.

Data Sheet

Will the copper go green?

Eventually. It dulls within weeks, darkens through brown over a year or two, and the green patina takes far longer in most British and Irish positions. Coastal air speeds it up.

Is the whole light copper?

No. The teardrop head is hand spun copper. The goose neck arm underneath is galvanised steel finished in gloss black, so the copper reads as a head rather than a whole fitting.

Can I stop it weathering?

Not without lacquer, and lacquer eventually breaks down in patches which looks worse than an even patina. Metal polish will take it back to bright, but the cycle then starts again.

How does it compare with the painted version?

Same shape, same size, same 5.60KG, same IP44 rating. The painted version holds its colour; this one changes. The copper version costs more.

Does copper match brass or bronze?

It sits comfortably beside both and will not match either exactly as it ages. It is a harder pairing with chrome or nickel.

What bulb does it take?

An E27 screw lamp, not supplied. A 7W LED at 2700K suits the warm tone of the metal. The fitting is rated to 100W maximum in total.