Iconic Walter Von Nessen Swing Arm Desk Lamp with Original Metal Shade
About the Item
- Creator:Walter Von Nessen (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 18 in (45.72 cm)Width: 6 in (15.24 cm)Depth: 24 in (60.96 cm)
- Power Source:Plug-in
- Voltage:110-150v
- Lampshade:Included
- Style:Bauhaus (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1930- 1950's
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Very good, original, untouched condition, showing only light cosmetic wear, normal and consistent with age.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU978734499402
Walter Von Nessen
Art Deco industrial designer Walter von Nessen is best known for his glamorous Machine Age lighting designs and for his invention of the swing-arm lamp. Von Nessen was born in Germany, where he studied under Bruno Paul at Berlin’s Kunstgewerbeschule. After World War I, he worked for the architect Peter Behrens, in Berlin. He left in 1919 for Stockholm, where he designed furniture until emigrating with his wife, Margaretta, to the United States in 1923. In 1927, the couple opened Nessen Studios in Manhattan, designing and selling sleek, modern architectural lighting.
Art Deco was both novel and exciting in the late 1920s — as, indeed, was electricity itself — and Nessen Studios was at the forefront of the movement. Electric lighting designers at the time had no direct models to follow. The shapes and silhouettes of gas lamps, lanterns and chandeliers had been influenced by those of the kerosene-, oil- and candle-lit fixtures that preceded them, which in turn were informed by the fuels they used. Electric lighting required designs that accommodated essentials of the new technology, like cords and sockets. Von Nessen and his contemporaries thus had to create fixtures that addressed these challenges and looked modern without appearing overly mechanical.
Along with industrial-design visionaries of the period like Raymond Loewy, Gilbert Rohde and Donald Deskey, von Nessen crafted a style that was emblematic of the Machine Age. He produced lamps and home accessories from spun aluminum, with smooth surfaces that evoked the polished gleam of streamlined automobiles and airplanes. And he experimented with other popular materials of the era, such as Bakelite, chrome and fiberglass. His ingenious design for the now-ubiquitous swing-arm lamp earned him a reputation as an innovator.
Von Nessen’s work is represented in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art and the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian National Design Museum, among other institutions. Designed to complement the luxurious interiors of the 1920s and ‘30s, still look fresh nearly a century later.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Cohoes, NY
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 1 day of delivery.
- High Grade Flex Arm Desk Lamp After Von NessenBy Walter Von NessenLocated in New York, NYExceptional high grade flex arm desk lamp, after the iconic Von Nessen design. This example features a large disk base ( 11 in. Dia. ) with two arms ( 10.5 W ea. ) and a dome form ho...Category
Mid-20th Century German International Style Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- Modernist Leather and Steel Table Lamp by Walter Von Nessen c 1960'sBy Walter Von Nessen, Nessen StudioLocated in New York, NYChic and sophisticated Modernist School table lamp by Walter Von Nessen, made by Nessen Studios. The cylindrical body is wrapped in black leather, the base is chrome and the top is ...Category
Mid-20th Century American International Style Table Lamps
MaterialsSteel, Chrome
- Walter Von Nessen Floor Lamp Early VersionBy Nessen Studio, Walter Von NessenLocated in New York, NYEarly and rare version of the now iconic Machine Age Nessen swing arm floor lamp. The construction of this example dates the lamp from the...Category
Mid-20th Century American Machine Age Floor Lamps
MaterialsSteel
- Cylindrical Blue Lotte Lamp with Original ShadeBy Lotte and Gunnar BostlundLocated in New York, NYCylindrical ceramic lamp in blue with original shade by Lotte, Boslund. Great, original, working condition, one of three we are listing from one estate....Category
Vintage 1960s Canadian Scandinavian Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsCeramic
- Very Large Ceramic Drip Glaze Lamp with Original ShadeLocated in New York, NYLarge bulbous ceramic drip glaze lamp with original shade. Shade 21.5" D x 21" H. Height to top of socket 26". Impressive scale and great original condition.Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsCeramic
- Lucite Ceramic Mid-Century Lamp by Moss with Original ShadeBy Moss Lamp Co. 1Located in New York, NYClassic Moss lamp of California, having a lucite base, with a ceramic figure ( Figure by DeLee Art ). The lamp is in very good estate condition, still havi...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsFabric, Lucite
- Walter Von Nessen Brushed Brass Swing-Arm Desk LampBy Walter Von NessenLocated in Chicago, ILEarly edition swing arm desk lamp by Walter Von Nessen Lighting. finished in brushed brass with original milk glass diffuser. Sold sans shade. Pair of desk lamps available.Category
Vintage 1950s American Table Lamps
MaterialsMilk Glass
- Walter Von Nessen Style Brass Swing Arm Desk Lamp with Pale Green Shade, 1940'sBy Walter Von NessenLocated in Bainbridge, NYWalter Von Nessen Style Brass Swing Arm Desk Lamp with Pale Green Shade. Featuring a Brass column with extending and adjustable swing arm. extending to 16L. With original white smoot...Category
Vintage 1940s American Machine Age Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass, Metal
- Walter Von Nessen Brass Swing Arm Table Lamp with Adjustable Cylindrical ShadeBy Walter Von Nessen, Nessen StudioLocated in Brooklyn, NYAttractive and highly functional desk / table lamp by Walter Von Nessen for his eponymous Nessen Studio (ca. 1970s, New York City). Features a swing arm and pivoting, perforated, cyl...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass
- Walter Von Nessen Antiqued Brass Swing Arm Library LampBy Walter Von NessenLocated in New York, NYWalter Von Nessen by Nessen Studio / library table lamp in antiqued brass finish. USA, circa 1970. Features a swing arm and pivoting, perforated, cylindrical shade. Complemented b...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal, Brass
- Walter Von Nessen Aluminum Swing Arm Floor LampBy Walter Von NessenLocated in Buffalo, NYWalter Von Nessen Aluminum Swing Arm Floor Lamp ,, Wonderful example,, Retains original parchment shade (missing some boon-doggle) Minor dent to bottom,,3-way lamp (bulb) capability,...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsAluminum
- Walter Von Nessen Modern Swing Arm Floor LampBy Walter Von NessenLocated in New York, NYWalter Von Nessen for Nessen Studios modern floor lamp with adjustable swing arm, aluminum with basket-form metal shade, signed under weighted base "Nessen Studios No. 10." Measures...Category
Mid-20th Century American Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsAluminum