Here are photos of the "lamp ring" I have in my pavalino
This is basically a circle of plywood with catfood cans attached, to
hold oil lamps.
The end result is that I have 14 oil lamps about 7 ft off the ground, that light the
interior of my pavalino. It makes a really nice "glow" effect at night
when you are standing
outside the pavalino, and a nice, fairly well lit interior.
The use of the cans was inspired by a chandelier I have that is a close reproductions of those visible in at least two of the illustrations of King Rene's middle 15th century treatise on tournaments. One of these illustrations is reproduced in Tournaments: Jousts, Chivalry and Pageants in the Middle Ages, by Barber, Richard W. and Juliet Barker. (N.Y., 1989) on page 187. The chandeliers are quite simple, made of wood, with small metal cups that can fit four candles or small citronella/oil lamps. I use oil lamps.
Lamp ring in place on hub in pavalino |
Same picture, cropped and lightened |
Oblique view of the
lamp ring, showing slot to |
"Aerial view
of lamp ring, showing |
The oil lamps I use are liquid paraffin lamps. They are refillable and contain a refined liquid paraffin wax (used in table top lamps) that delivers a clean, odor-free flame. It is classified as non-toxic (unless consumed internally) and non-flammable. It is supposed to be so safe, it even extinguishes itself if accidentally knocked over. The container stays cold, so I have no problems with things getting hot. They are readily available in various sizes of non-refillable lamps and can be found with a web search. They are often called "fuel cells" in the US restaurant business. We use the 36 hour and 50 hour models. The 36 hour size is shown here. |