Pair of Mid Century Electric Blue Glass Lamps by Blenko
View Similar Items
Pair of Mid Century Electric Blue Glass Lamps by Blenko
About the Item
- Creator:Blenko Glass (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 28 in (71.12 cm)Diameter: 7 in (17.78 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:c. 1970s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. good vintage condition with age appropriate wear.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:Seller: R332VA1stDibs: 11092088931411
Blenko Glass
A producer of hand-blown glass since 1893, Blenko Glass is currently headquartered in Milton, West Virginia, where it has operated since 1921. Among its many illustrious projects are the stained-glass windows it produced for St. Patrick’s Cathedral and the Washington National Cathedral. Blenko is known today for the brilliant colors of its glass vessels and objects—particularly those produced in the 1950s and ’60s—which range from jewel-like blues and greens to brilliant reds and yellows.
The company was founded by William J. Blenko, an English immigrant who was apprenticed to a glassmaker in his native London as a young man. Blenko developed expertise in the production of rondels, the round panes used in stained glass windows. His interest in the potential of natural gas to fire glass furnaces led him to Milton, where abundant reserves of the fuel had attracted a pool of skilled glassblowers. Under the name Eureka Glass, his company began making window glass in 1923, and in 1925, he was joined in the business by his son, William H. Blenko.
When the Great Depression quelled demand for stained glass, William J. Blenko brought local Milton glassblowers into the company to begin producing stem- and tableware, products for which the company, which changed its name to Blenko in 1930, is now best known. Up until the end of World War II, Blenko’s tableware designs were fairly straightforward, and they sold well at American department such as Gump’s, in San Francisco. The company was also commissioned in 1930 to produce a line of reproductions for Colonial Williamsburg.
In 1947, the company hired as its art director Winslow Anderson, who introduced artful, fanciful and modern vessels and objects in vibrant colors. This began what collectors refer to as Blenko’s “historic period.” A number of Anderson’s designs were honored by the Museum of Modern Art’s Good Design Awards in 1950, and throughout the 1950’s and ‘60s, the company enjoyed robust sales and critical acclaim. The forms Blenko produced during this period followed the contemporary vogue for biomorphism, or organic modernism, which favored rounded and fluid shapes inspired by nature.
One of Blenko’s most influential designers, Wayne Husted, who was active from 1953 to ’63, is credited with aligning Blenko’s products with the prevailing mid-century modern aesthetic by pushing the envelope on both form and color, particularly in his wedge-cut and Spool decanters and his Echoes series. Joel Philip Myers, who designed for Blenko in the 1960s, brought a sense of whimsy and visual excess to the product line, in keeping with the psychedelic look favored during the period.
Blenko Glass still produces many of its classic designs in items ranging from stemware and tableware to decorative objects and ornamental decanters. Among collectors, pieces created under Husted’s creative direction are of special interest. The company has come to the attention of younger audiences through the documentaries Blenko: Hearts of Glass and Blenko Retro: Three Designers of American Glass, both of which aired on PBS. Blenko also designed the glass award trophy for the Country Music Awards.
- Pair of Mid Century Glass Table LampsLocated in New York, NYA pair of table lamps in clear glass. Each is composed of a long, fluted body ending in a faceted glass ball atop a square base.Category
20th Century American Table Lamps
MaterialsChrome
$950 / set - A Pair of Mid Century Clear Glass Murano Lamps by SegusoBy Seguso Vetri d'ArteLocated in New York, NYA pair of vintage sculptural Italian clear Murano glass table lamps by Seguso.Category
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsGlass
$3,375 Sale Price / set41% Off - Mid-Century Modern Blue Glass Table LampLocated in New York, NYMid-Century Modern blue glass table lamp with an iridescent finish, together with a white cloth lampshade. Measures: 28" height x 18.5" diameter.Category
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsGlass
- Pair of Mid Century Monumental Ceramic Lamps w/ Silver OverlayLocated in New York, NYpair of large scale drip - glazed ceramic lamps, with silver overlay of leaping gazelles. 4079Category
20th Century American Table Lamps
$3,200 Sale Price / set28% Off - Italian Mid-Century Modern Glass Table LampLocated in New York, NYItalian Mid-Century Modern glass table lamp in elongated shape atop a circular wooden base. The piece is in great vintage condition with some ...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsGlass, Wood
$585 Sale Price26% Off - Pair of Mercury Glass Lamps, 20th CLocated in New York, NYPair of Mercury Glass Lamps with floral and insect decoupage hand painted paper and silver leaf reverse decoration, mounted on gilt wood bases. Dealer: S138XXCategory
20th Century Unknown Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsGlass, Giltwood
$1,800 / set
- Mid-Century Blown Glass Fish Lamp by BlenkoBy Blenko GlassLocated in San Diego, CAMidcentury glass fish lamp by Blenko, circa 1960s. The lamp is handblown clear glass fish mounted on a chrome base with a chrome stem. The lamp is in v...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsChrome
$580 Sale Price20% Off - Pair of Smoked Glass Teardrop Lamps by BlenkoBy Blenko GlassLocated in Tarrytown, NYPair of smoked glass teardrop lamps with glass finials by Blenko.Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass
$4,600 / set - Pair, Swirl Mid-Century Modern Transparent Blown Art Glass Table Lamps by BlenkoBy Blenko GlassLocated in Miami, FLPair of Mid-Century Modern hand-blown art glass table lamp by Blenko. The swirled transparent glass body is mounted on an acrylic base and ...Category
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsNickel
- Blenko Smoky Blue Glass Bottle LampBy Blenko GlassLocated in New York, NYBlenko smoke blue glass lamp with circular wood base. Original hardware and finial. Overall height measures 27 inches, lamp body, 14 inches height. Signed with paper label on harp, ...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsBlown Glass
$2,080 Sale Price20% Off - Blenko Signed Blue Crackled Glass Barrel LampBy Blenko GlassLocated in New York, NYBlenko 1980's crackled blue glass barrel shape lamp with round walnut base. Original hardware features brass cap and adjustable harp to accommodate multiple heights and lamp shade si...Category
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass
$1,440 Sale Price20% Off - Blenko Mid-Century Modern Gray Blown Art Glass Table Lamps Acrylic Base, PairBy Blenko GlassLocated in Miami, FLPair of Blenko Mid-Century Modern frosted light gray blown art glass table lamps with Nickel Hardware. The lamps have an acrylic base and N...Category
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsNickel
