Long before the electric light bulb, there was the Hundi lamp. Progress? Maybe if you’re measuring it on a purely convenience-based scale, but aesthetically, we think the artisans of the 18th century had a leg up on us. Handmade in Austria, Belgium, and England between 1750 and 1900 for the British East India Company and its Dutch twin, Hundi lamps soon became the principal form of lighting in the colonies. Crafted using lead crystal, they were designed to burn whale oil or candles and often came custom-made to illuminate the halls of the country’s most majestic homes. Today you can have the best of both worlds—convenience and aesthetic bliss—by sticking an electric candle in there and watching the glass bowl glow. Just remember, somebody blew that—amazing, no? Read Less