Painted Lamp Bases
Vintage 1960s American Brutalist Table Lamps
Steel, Chrome
Vintage 1960s Table Lamps
Brass
Vintage 1960s Unknown Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Jade, Brass
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Art Glass, Milk Glass, Paint
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Table Lamps
Paint, Giltwood
20th Century Japanese Table Lamps
Bronze
20th Century Italian Floor Lamps
Marble, Metal
Vintage 1940s French Art Deco Table Lamps
Metal, Brass
Vintage 1970s American Modern Table Lamps
Ceramic, Lucite
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Travertine, Metal
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Metal
Antique 19th Century French Table Lamps
Brass, Ormolu
Antique Early 19th Century Italian Table Lamps
Antique 1870s French Napoleon III Table Lamps
Bronze
Antique 19th Century Japanese Table Lamps
Ormolu
Antique Mid-19th Century French Chinoiserie Table Lamps
Ironstone, Wood
Late 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Table Lamps
Pine
Late 20th Century Italian Romantic Table Lamps
Bronze
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Brass, Gold Leaf
20th Century Table Lamps
Porcelain, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Table Lamps
Brass
Antique Late 19th Century French Table Lamps
Bronze
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Iron
Antique Late 19th Century Chinese Chinese Export Table Lamps
Ceramic, Hardwood
20th Century Hollywood Regency Floor Lamps
Wood
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Ceramic
Antique 19th Century Table Lamps
Pine
Vintage 1980s American Post-Modern Table Lamps
Brass
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Chrome
Antique Late 19th Century Chinese Chinese Export Table Lamps
Gold Leaf, Metal
Vintage 1960s Japanese Chinoiserie Table Lamps
Ceramic
Vintage 1920s Italian Baroque Table Lamps
Wood
Antique Early 19th Century French Empire Table Lamps
Bronze, Metal
Mid-20th Century American Hollywood Regency Table Lamps
Brass
Late 20th Century Chinese Table Lamps
Metal
Vintage 1910s French Neoclassical Revival Table Lamps
Brass
Antique 19th Century Italian Table Lamps
Wood
Late 20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Revival Table Lamps
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Table Lamps
Porcelain
Early 20th Century English Table Lamps
Wood
Vintage 1960s North American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Chrome, Metal
Early 20th Century European Floor Lamps
Limestone, Brass
20th Century Italian Table Lamps
Paint, Wood
Antique 19th Century British Table Lamps
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century Chinese Chinoiserie Table Lamps
Brass
20th Century Table Lamps
Porcelain
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Metal, Brass
20th Century Table Lamps
Porcelain
Vintage 1960s American Table Lamps
Brass
Mid-20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Table Lamps
Porcelain, Wood
Vintage 1950s Italian Hollywood Regency Table Lamps
Brass
Early 20th Century French Empire Table Lamps
Blown Glass
Early 20th Century French Table Lamps
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Faience
Antique Early 1900s European Empire Table Lamps
Milk Glass
Mid-20th Century Table Lamps
Wood
Antique Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Table Lamps
Brass
Antique Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Table Lamps
Brass
20th Century Chinese Table Lamps
Porcelain, Wood
Mid-20th Century Unknown Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
Metal
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Painted Lamp Bases For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much are Painted Lamp Bases?
Finding the Right table-lamps for You
Well-crafted antique and vintage table lamps do more than provide light; the right fixture-and-table combination can add a focal point or creative element to any interior.
Proper table lamps have long been used for lighting our most intimate spaces. Perfect for lighting your nightstand or reading nook, table lamps play an integral role in styling an inviting room. In the years before electricity, lamps used oil. Today, a rewired 19th-century vintage lamp can still provide a touch of elegance for a study.
After industrial milestones such as mass production took hold in the Victorian era, various design movements sought to bring craftsmanship and innovation back to this indispensable household item. Lighting designers affiliated with Art Deco, which originated in the glamorous roaring ’20s, sought to celebrate modern life by fusing modern metals with dark woods and dazzling colors in the fixtures of the era. The geometric shapes and gilded details of vintage Art Deco table lamps provide an air of luxury and sophistication that never goes out of style.
After launching in 1934, Anglepoise lamps soon became a favorite among modernist architects and designers, who interpreted the fixture as “a machine for lighting,” just as Le Corbusier had reimagined the house as “a machine for living in.” The popular task light owed to a collaboration between a vehicle-suspension engineer by the name of George Carwardine and a West Midlands springs manufacturer, Herbert Terry & Sons.
Some mid-century modern table lamps, particularly those created by the likes of Joe Colombo and the legendary lighting artisans at Fontana Arte, bear all the provocative hallmarks associated with Space Age design. Sculptural and versatile, the Louis Poulsen table lamps of that period were revolutionary for their time and still seem innovative today.
If you are looking for something more contemporary, industrial table lamps are demonstrative of a newly chic style that isn’t afraid to pay homage to the past. They look particularly at home in any rustic loft space amid exposed brick and steel beams.
Before you buy a desk lamp or table lamp for your living room, consider your lighting needs. The Snoopy lamp, designed in 1967, or any other “banker’s lamp” (shorthand for the Emeralite desk lamps patented by H.G. McFaddin and Company), provides light at a downward angle that is perfect for writing, while the Fontana table lamp and the beloved Grasshopper lamp by Greta Magnusson-Grossman each yield a soft and even glow. Some table lamps require lampshades to be bought separately.
Whether it’s a classic antique Tiffany table lamp, a Murano glass table lamp or even a bold avant-garde fixture custom-made by a contemporary design firm, the right table lamp can completely transform a room. Find the right one for you on 1stDibs.
- What is a lamp base?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertFebruary 22, 2021A lamp base is the lighting element of the lamp which attaches to the lamp body. They are traditionally made up of nickel-plated brass.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022The base of a lamp is usually just called the lamp base. Manufacturers and artisans produce lamp bases out of a wide range of materials, including metal, wood, glass and pottery. Find a selection of antique and vintage lamps on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertMarch 25, 2024The Scream painting was based on artist Edvard Munch's own emotional experiences. Munch recalled his inspiration in a January 22, 1892, diary entry: “I was walking along the road with two friends — the sun went down — I felt a gust of melancholy — suddenly the sky turned a bloody red. I stopped, leaned against the railing, tired to death — as the flaming skies hung like blood and sword over the blue-black fjord and the city — my friends went on — I stood there trembling with anxiety — and I felt a vast infinite scream through nature.” Many people associate the image with a feeling of anxiety, interpreting it as representing how the world appears to someone experiencing this emotion. On 1stDibs, explore a selection of Edvard Munch art.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022The Blue Dog painting by George Rodrigue was inspired by the artist’s dog, a spaniel-terrier blend named Tiffany, as well as the legendary Cajun creature called the Loup-garou. Browse an array of artist George Rodrigue’s pieces and prints from some of the world’s top sellers on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertAugust 24, 2021Yes, you can paint a glass lamp shade. You can use glass paints or acrylic paint to give old glass fixtures an inexpensive makeover. You can also use stencils for added visual appeal. Find a variety of lamp shades on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022Yes, ceramic table lamps can be painted. In fact, many lamps come with hand-painted finishes. If you choose to paint a lamp yourself, you may need two or more coats of paint to get the results you desire. You'll find a collection of ceramic table lamps on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022To paint a ceramic lamp, most experts recommend using an acrylic paint that’s specially formulated for ceramics. However, other paints can work. Consult the paint brand’s website for more information about suitable surfaces. On 1stDibs, you’ll find a collection of vintage and modern ceramic lamps from some of the world’s top sellers.
Read More
Ettore Sottsass Captures a Shooting Star in This Rare 1970s Floor Lamp
Before founding the Memphis Group, Sottsass bent the rules of lighting design with the wonderfully wavy Cometa.
You Don’t Need a Fictional Fairy to Get This Real Pinocchio Lamp
Warm chalet style meets cool Bauhaus functionality in Pietro Cascella’s cleverly carved creation.
Why Is Italy Such a Hotbed of Cool Design?
Patrizio Chiarparini of Brooklyn’s Duplex gallery sheds light on the lasting legacy of Italy’s postwar furniture boom.
With a High-Tech Flagship and Cool Collabs, Lladró Is Breaking the Mold for Porcelain Production
Thanks to its new leadership, the Spanish maker of figurines, busts and lighting is on a mission to update the art of porcelain for the 21st century.
Christopher Tennant’s Lamps and Dioramas Evoke Sunny Days and Seaside Locales
The former magazine editor blends elements of the Far East and America’s eastern shores, bringing wit and delight to his handmade, upcycled designs.
Paavo Tynell’s Snowflake Chandelier Warms Up Any Room
This circa 1950 piece by the legendary Finnish lighting designer spent the past several decades in a family's home in Michigan.
NASA Parachutes Inspired Lighting Designer Bec Brittain’s New Collection
In "Paraciphers," now on view at Emma Scully Gallery in New York, Brittain introduces works that were more than a decade in the making.
This Handsome Leather Pendant Light Is Crafted Using Saddle-Making Techniques
The Doma by L’Aviva Home nods to Colombia’s equestrian heritage.