Handblown Mosque Glass Lamp in Mameluke Style Gilded with Arabic Calligraphy
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
These were used as oil lamps. Large round bulbous body rising to a narrower waist, above which the top section is flared.
Blown Glass
Scandinavian Modern Set of 6 Pendant Perforated Brass Lamps, 1960's
By Hans-Agne Jakobsson
Located in Uccle, BE
His company produced over 2,000 separate lamps in fifty years. Jakobsson’s own body of work includes laminated pine pendant lamps, large bulbous glass chandeliers, all manner of mute...
Brass
1960s L51 Hanging Lights by Alessandro Pianon for Vistosi
By Vistosi
Located in Sagaponack, NY
An exuberant grouping of hand blown cased glass ceiling lamps of bulbous form in rich primary colors.
Glass
Midcentury Squared Wall Mirror by Max Ingrand for Fontana Arte, Italy 1960s
By Fontana Arte, Max Ingrand
Located in Rome, IT
Max Ingrand (1908 – 1969) ; Creating forward-thinking and innovative pieces of furniture years before his time, French stained glass designer and decorator Max Ingrand created design...
Metal
Antique table lamps became a category of their own once electricity moved light off the wall and onto furniture. The form split quickly: task-driven designs like the Anglepoise on one side, decorative ceramic and glass on the other.
Styles to Know
Base material shapes the light as much as the shade does: ceramic and glass diffuse a softer glow, while brass and metal read more directional. Layer the look with a mid-century modern floor lamp for ambient light, or set a pair on a mid-century modern nightstand for a bedroom.
How to Choose the Right Vintage Table Lamp
Buying individually rather than as a pair allows more flexibility when mixing eras across a room. For those shopping by name rather than by shape, the history of the Anglepoise lamp is worth a read. Each piece comes from a vetted 1stDibs seller, with era, designer and condition detailed, and the 1stDibs Promise stands behind every purchase.
Designer Eva Menz wants the light to "evoke curiosity and a sense of wonder."
Working with resin, a tricky material, has created moments of failure — and enlightenment.
Commissioned for the lakeside villa of a Finnish industrialist, it illuminated visits with dignitaries.
Across New York, there’s no shortage of statement lighting on view.
The 1920s design is a thrilling combination of saturated colors, ancient motifs and modern aesthetics.
Designed by a giant of Swedish lighting, the large-scale fixtures bring major drama.
The alluring pendant light exemplifies the designer’s winsome mid-career work.
Before founding the Memphis Group, Sottsass bent the rules of lighting design with the wonderfully wavy Cometa.