Clarke's Fairy Lamps on plush bases

I managed to find this fairy lamp recently. I was pleased to add it to my collection, not for the elegance of the glass, but for the plush base.

In my 45 years of collecting Victorian-era fairy lamp, this is the first plush base of this type I have seen. The base is wooden overlaid with burgundy velvet. The velvet is in remarkable condition considering its age of over 125 years. The only wear appears to be from the Clarke lamp cup that rest on the top surface.

The plush bases were promoted in several ads, all showing different colors and types of shades. The advertisement is from an 1887 ssue of the Pottery Gazette. There are other ads from the same period showing Webb Burmese shades and different styles of lamp cups. There is also a menu holder fairy lamp on a plush base.

I had planned to put an more elegant shade on this base but the color of the shade compliments the base so well that I will keep them together - at least until the pretty wears off.