The distinctive form and swirl pattern of this exceptional Hawkes and Company banquet lamp constitute an extremely rare and superior example. “Rich cut” glass, as it was called at the end of the nineteenth century, was designed to capture light in such a way as to bring sparkle and flash to any interior. Though many small pieces were affordably priced, large examples such as this lamp were costly and functioned as signifiers of wealth and taste. When used at a formal dinner, strands of ivy or flowers would be draped from it to provide a particularly lush and luminous centerpiece.