Turtle Shell Lamp
Late 20th Century American Table Lamps
Metal
Vintage 1970s European Table Lamps
Brass
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Brass, Chrome
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Brass, Chrome
Vintage 1970s French Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Brass
20th Century Table Lamps
Bronze
Vintage 1970s Italian Hollywood Regency Table Lamps
Chrome
Vintage 1970s American Table Lamps
Aluminum
Recent Sales
2010s Table Lamps
Vintage 1970s French Table Lamps
Metal
20th Century American Table Lamps
Vintage 1950s American Table Lamps
Vintage 1970s Italian Hollywood Regency Table Lamps
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Table Lamps
21st Century and Contemporary American Table Lamps
Late 20th Century American Table Lamps
Metal
Vintage 1940s Art Deco Table Lamps
Wrought Iron
Mid-20th Century Table Lamps
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Adirondack Table Lamps
Iron
Vintage 1960s French Table Lamps
Brass, Iron
Vintage 1940s Table Lamps
Metal
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Table Lamps
21st Century and Contemporary American Table Lamps
Metal
Vintage 1980s Italian Table Lamps
Bronze
Vintage 1960s Italian Table Lamps
Vintage 1970s American Table Lamps
Late 20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Metal, Brass, Chrome
Vintage 1970s American Table Lamps
Antique 19th Century South American Taxidermy
Marine turtle
Antique 19th Century South American Wall Lights and Sconces
Sea turtle
Antique 19th Century South American Wall Lights and Sconces
Sea turtle
Early 20th Century Animal Sculptures
Vintage 1970s Belgian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Tortoise Shell
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Vintage 1970s Hollywood Regency Table Lamps
Brass
Vintage 1970s French Mid-Century Modern Nautical Objects
Brass
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Brass
Vintage 1980s French Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Bronze
Vintage 1970s American Armchairs
Aluminum
20th Century American Table Lamps
Brass
20th Century Australian Table Lamps
20th Century Table Lamps
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Brass, Steel
2010s Table Lamps
Vintage 1960s French Table Lamps
Bronze
20th Century American Table Lamps
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2010s Italian Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Metal, Brass
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Brass, Nickel, Enamel, Bronze
20th Century American Animal Sculptures
Onyx
20th Century American Mounted Objects
Brass
20th Century American Animal Sculptures
Coral
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Tortoise Shell
20th Century American Organic Modern Animal Sculptures
Rock Crystal, Metal
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Shell
Antique 19th Century Chinese Qing Table Mirrors
Marine turtle
Late 20th Century European Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
20th Century Victorian Historical Memorabilia
Resin
Late 20th Century French Table Lamps
Brass
Antique Late 19th Century Natural Specimens
Multi-gemstone, Gold Leaf
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Tortoise Shell
Antique 19th Century British Victorian Taxidermy
Tortoise Shell, Animal Skin, Epoxy Resin, Paint
Turtle Shell Lamp For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Turtle Shell Lamp?
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.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022Using a lampshade as a guide, line up a row of pre-drilled capiz shells until you reach the desired length. String them together by using a fishing line and finish by tying the strands onto the lamp shade. Alternatively, shop a selection of capiz shell items on 1stDibs.
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