Ronson Varaflame Rosewood Mid-Century Modern Gas Candle, a Pair 1964

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Description

Ronson Varaflame Rosewood Mid-Century Modern Gas Candle, a Pair
1964
Ronson, United States

This pair of Ronson Varaflame gas candles … Read more Ronson Varaflame Rosewood Mid-Century Modern Gas Candle, a Pair
1964
Ronson, United States

This pair of Ronson Varaflame gas candles each takes the form of a slender, gently tapering column of rosewood raised on a heavy weighted metal base. Introduced in the 1960s, they gave a household the warm look of a lit candle without dripping wax, guttering, or replacement.

The wood is turned in two sections, the upper sleeve lifting away to reveal the butane Varaflame burner with its fingertip flame control; the lower body carries the gilt Ronson patent label, and the underside of each weighted base bears the silvered maker’s disc, “VARAFLAME® ROSEWOOD” fashioned by Ronson, © Ronson 1964.

Their tall, candle-like silhouettes and richly figured grain give them the presence of small sculptures as much as functional objects, and as a pair they were intended to flank a desk, mantel, or occasional table.

At over nineteen inches they carry real height, which is exactly what a mantel, a console, or the ends of a long dining table usually want. Stand them either side of a mirror or a picture, use them on a bar or a credenza, or set them on a desk where the rosewood will sit well against leather and brass. They look their best against a plain wall or a dark surface that lets the grain show, and they group happily with teak, walnut, and other midcentury pieces. Kept unlit they still read as sculpture, so they earn their place whether or not you ever fill them.

Dimensions
Each:
Height: 19¼ inches (48.9 cm)
Width: 2¼ inches (5.7 cm) at widest point

Provenance
Earle D. Vandekar of Knightsbridge.

Condition
Both good, showing light surface wear to the rosewood and expected patina and minor oxidation to the weighted metal bases. The original Ronson patent labels and maker’s discs are present and legible on both.

Historical Context
Ronson introduced its Varaflame gas candles in 1964, at the height of the midcentury modern moment, advertising them as candles that never burn down. Clean-burning butane replaced wax, and the flame could be lit, adjusted, and put out at the turn of a control. The label on the present pair cites roughly four hours’ burning at a one-inch flame height.

This model pairs a sleek, minimalist column of richly grained rosewood with an industrial burner and a weighted metal base, a combination that owes much to the Danish and Scandinavian design then dominating American interiors, though Ronson itself was an American firm. The slender form lent itself to matched pairs. Surviving together, with their original labels intact and their figured rosewood well preserved, they are among the more collectible expressions of Ronson’s midcentury design.

Ref: NY11166-narx See less