What is an Oriental Lamp?
An Oriental lamp is a lamp with an East Asian-inspired design. A wide variety of styles of lamp are produced in East Asia itself, providing a great deal of fodder for importers, and lamp designers also create specific lamp designs which are meant to evoke the East. The collective obsession with all things Oriental is often said to date back to the adventures of Marco Polo, which popularized Asian culture in Europe, leading to a frenzy for Asian-style goods which has yet to abate. This interest has made products like Oriental lamps readily available in much of the West. One classic type of Oriental lamp is a paper lantern. Paper lanterns of all shapes and sizes are widely used in Japan and China, ranging from colorful paper globes with bamboo frames to table lamps made with a wooden framework and a paper covering. In addition to solitary and string lamps of the paper lantern design, it is also possible to purchase paper lampshades which can be used to cover ceiling lights or to convert
