absolutely stunning c. 1905-15 antique american all original and largely intact freestanding cream matte-glazed terra cotta figural lamp fabricated by the northwestern terra cotta co., chicago, il. the figural egyptian revival lamp features an elegantly designed, costumed female pharaoh resting against an upright column containing a multitude of geometric shapes. the incandescent cluster socket was originally mounted directly above the woman's outstretched arm. some variations of this remarkable statue include a large tapered base containing highly abstract geometric forms, owls and felines in low relief. this lamp contains a subtle brown colored glaze was used to accentuate the intricate detail found in the figurine. the lamp is largely intact with minor chips, crazing and age-related wear. the lamp was modeled by richard boch. the figurine was designed by sculptor fritz albert. the lamps containing bases were designed by fernand moreau, who trained as a sculptor in his native france before immigrating to the united states in 1880. moreau moved to chicago around the time of the 1893 columbian exposition. by 1902 he was teaching ornamental modeling at the art institute of chicago. in 1904 he went to work for gates potteries, joining fritz albert (the factory's chief modeler). albert and moreau joined the northwestern terra cotta company around 1906. the northwestern terra cotta company was founded in 1878 by g. hottinger, president and sculpture, john r true, vice president and treasurer, and f. wagner, secretary and architect. nearly 30 years after its founding, northwestern terra cotta company was the leading manufacturer of terra cotta in the united states. the popularity of decorative terra cotta on building facades reached its pinnacle in the 1920's. northwestern terra cotta company supplied a great majority of the terra cotta to meet this demand - both in chicago and throughout the united states. the great depression marked the beginning of the end for northwestern terra cotta company. as construction fell off, so did the demand for terra cotta. the company finally closed in 1965. a hole in the back was designed specifically for use with the lamp cord.