Just a gut reaction from the picture but I don't think that fixture is original. IMHO, The style doesn't look right for the age of the house and the scale of the fixture doesn't seem to be appropriate for the ceiling medallion. Have you look closely at the fixture to see if the age seems right?

That looks a lot like the fixture over my breakfast table. Got it at lowes or home despot a couple years ago.

I would also say no, looks like a more modern style. This site is a bit pricey, but they have really nice examples of historic lighting that might help you determine what is right for your home. Hope this helps. Picking out lighting can be a lot of fun and you can get great deals on Ebay especially if you are willing to rewire the piece yourself.

Here is a link that might be useful: antique lighting

I'm another vote for not original.

Without seeing the layout of your main floor, it's hard to say whether or not this room would originally have been the dining room. Could you post a sketch of your floor plan?

Thanks, everyone! Now I can rip the ugly thing out in good conscience. :-)

Kec01, I will try to do a sketch of the floor plan. I really appreciate your being willing to help me figure this out.

After thinking a bit, a medallion that decorative would have most likely been in a "public" room - a room that company would have been invited into. Just off the top, I'd guess that your room would have been the parlor/living room, library or dining room originally. If this room is closest to your front door, it was probably the parlor or library. If it's one room removed from the front door, it was probably the dining room. Ornamentation that detailed would not have been in rooms meant just for family or the help. Hope that helps.

Actually, it looks similar to ones my father ripped out of a circa 1900 house back in the early 60's.
...broke my heart even then.

It seems undersized for the scale of the medallion, and I have also seem the like of this for sale new. The form is historically accurate for that vintage of house. It just needs to be about three times the size. Like a 36" diameter.
Casey

Look at the wiring on that light fixture. That would be the best way to tell if it's a recent reproduction. My folks own a late twenties- early thirties house and every fixture in that home are original to the house and are very similar to this style.

That doesn't stop you from replacing the fixture, but it shouldn't be pitched. It should be carefully boxed and saved in case somebody wanted to eventually restore the house to some type of historical integrity.

Well, if it is old then something looks a bit 'off.' Maybe it was moved from a different room to this one a long time ago. If you look more closely at it it may become very apparent whether it was made with modern techniques and modern finishes or not. It could very well be old and original, but original to another area of the house.

if original plaster, it should sound hollow. i agree about the scale being off..could it be that the fixture is original and the medallion is a replacement? or both? is the medallion original? if you tap it, it should not sound hollow (plastic reproduction medallion). the fixture does look like some i have purchased from HD, but those are meant to be reproductions of something from the past. open it up and take a look!! kren

It could very well be a fixture put up in the twenties on a house predating that. The house in which my mother spent her childhood was built around 1909 and it wasn't electrified until the thirties. They used coal oil lamps and some of them were quite large and ornate much like chandeliers. If one got electricity run through at a later date, perhaps a light was hung there then. You know, there were people with no sense of style seventy five years ago, just like there are now. LOL.