This Veritas Mantles porcelain sign is very scarce piece of vintage advertising. The colors and the image of the sign are fantastic. The sign reads: Veritas Mantles… for strength and brilliancy. The image depicts a clumsy man, who accidentally breaks the glass of a street lamp with his ladder, as he walks by. Along the bottom it reads… Not broken! I bet that’s a Veritas! Note the cute dog sitting at the base of the lamppost. European porcelain signs never disappoint when it comes to quality, imagery and colors.
Mantles is the word for the mesh burner bags in gas and kerosene lanterns. When heated with a flame, it produces a very bright light. The mantle or incandescent mantle was invented in 1884 by Carl Auer von Welsbach, an Austrian chemist. These were used in street lights throughout Europe and the US in the early 1900’s. They can still be found in use today, in countries around the world.
Our Veritas Mantles porcelain sign is the only one we have ever seen. This image appeared in 1929 and was used for many years by Veritas in print ads on paper. There are 6 mounting holes, which all appear to be in perfect condition. So this sign may have never been used.
PERIOD: 20th Century
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: United Kingdom
MATERIALS: Multi-color porcelain over steel.
CONDITION: Extremely nice condition with wear consistent with age and use. There is some very minor chips that are barely noticeable in the lower left corner. The porcelain has its original gloss finish. View photos for more details.
SIZE
HEIGHT: 24 in. (61 cm)
WIDTH: 18 in. (46 cm)
WEIGHT: lbs. ( kg)
