Rare Mid-Century Table Lamp by Josef Hurka for Napako

About the Item

Iconic metal table lamp made in the 1960s by Napako under the mark 85104 according to the design of Josef Hurka. The lamp has a base made of bent chrome-plated iron, a metal shade with a red outer coating and rotating joints on the sides, which can be used to position the lamp vertically. In very good original condition with some traces of wear and age. Fully functional. Height 25 cm, width 17 cm, depth 15 cm.

Creator:

Josef Hurka (Designer),Napako (Manufacturer)

Dimensions:

Height: 9.85 in (25 cm)Width: 6.7 in (17 cm)Depth: 5.91 in (15 cm)

Style:

Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)

Materials and Techniques:

Metal,Lacquered

Place of Origin:

Czech Republic

Period:

1960-1969

Date of Manufacture:

1960s

Condition:

Wear consistent with age and use.

Seller Location:

PRAHA 5, CZ

Reference Number:

1stDibs: LU7114230416522

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Napako

Napako was initially established in 1919 in Prague with the purpose of helping private companies with metalworking solutions for building projects. The Czech manufacturer later pivoted to producing appliances and lighting, a change that yielded partnerships with esteemed designers such as electrician and furniture maker Josef Hurka and Miroslav Prokop between the 1930s and 1970s.

Napako’s chrome-plated desk lamps and flush mounts were often characterized by the influence of the Bauhaus, a progressive German design school that promoted a union of art, craft and technology. Many of the brand’s interesting lighting fixtures incorporated milk glass and opaline glass and later featured venturesome forms and lacquered metal housings in lively Pop art colors. Today vintage Napako table lamps, floor lamps and chandeliers are rare and highly collectible works of Space Age and mid-century modernist ingenuity.

Hurka and Helena Frantová were the superstars on Napako’s roster of designers. Initially an electrical appliance designer, Hurka changed course to work on lighting design after Napako discontinued its production of appliances.

For much of the 20th century, industrial and furniture designers in the Eastern Bloc created their work in near anonymity — including in the former Czechoslovakia, where communist ideologies ran counter to capitalist ideas like branding and acclaim.

Although for a brief and shining moment, in 1958, the country’s designers gained global renown when Czechoslovakia won best national pavilion at the Brussels World’s Fair, their artistry was soon shrouded again behind the Iron Curtain.

Hurka’s table lamps for Napako were presented as part of the prize-winning Czech Pavilion at the 1958 World Expo in Brussels, which was the first World’s Fair after World War II. Frantová frequently created torch-shaped table lamps with spindly bodies in chromed steel or brass for the likes of Okolo as well as Napako.

On 1stDibs, find a collection of Napako lighting.