20TH CENTURY DESIGN Lighting

Osaka Tokushu, the company behind this striking 1960s brass naval passageway lamp, is renowned for its high-quality maritime equipment. Based in Japan, the company specialized in producing durable and functional lighting solutions for ships, with an emphasis on precision engineering and robust materials to withstand the harsh conditions of sea travel. This particular lamp, salvaged from decommissioned Japanese cargo ships in India, exemplifies the company’s commitment to excellence and longevity, making it a sought-after relic from mid-century maritime history. The lamp’s design reflects Osaka Tokushu's dedication to both form and function. The brass enclosure and threaded glass dome are not only built to last but also evoke a utilitarian elegance typical of naval equipment...

A rare and exceptional example of the Fase desk lamp, Modelos Patentados, designed and manufactured by the prestigious Spanish company Fase in Madrid. F...

A rare and exceptional example of the Fase desk lamp, Modelos Patentados, designed and manufactured by the prestigious Spanish company Fase in Madrid. F...

This rare table lamp was designed by Vico Magistretti for the Italian manufacture Artemide during the 1960s, it is one of 2 that we currently have in stock. The lamp is made from one main piece of white plastic. Dalù is one a wonderful expression of Magistretti’s design ethos and reflects his belief that beauty and everyday functionality should be equally important in the object. Vico Magistretti was born in Milan. He attended Parini High School before he enrolled in the Regio Politecnico Faculty of Architecture in Milan in the fall of 1939. In 1943-1944 he moved to Switzerland, where he attended several academic courses at the Champ Universitarie Italien in Lausanne. It was then that he spent time with Ernesto Nathan Rogers, who had a key influence on his intellectual education. In 1945 he returned to Milan, where he graduated from the Faculty of Architecture at the Polytechnic University. He immediately started working for his father's company, the architect Piergiulio Magistretti, in via Conservatorio. The 1950s were a very busy and fruitful period for the young architect, who came up with many innovative ideas and very quickly became one of the most outstanding representatives of the third generation. Over the next few years he worked as a designer as well as an architect, creating furniture and objects that will always be classics of contemporary production. It was then that he was awarded the Golden Compass for the Eclisse lamp (1967).He then started working with important companies such as Artemide, Campeggi, Cassina, De Padova, Flou, Fontana Arte, Fritz Hansen, Kartell, Olivari, Oluce, Poggi, Schiffini Mobili Cucine and Gebrüder Thonet Vienna. His design works are in the permanent collection of MoMA - Museum of Modern Art in New York and in many other museums in America and Europe. In the field of architecture, it is worth mentioning his nomination as an honorary member of the Royal College of Art in London, where he was also a visiting professor. He also participated in exhibitions and conferences in Europe, Japan and the USA. Established in the 1960s, Artemide is one of the most famous lighting brands in the world. Known for its philosophy, The Human Light...

Val Saint Lambert is a glass manufacturer, founded in 1826 and based in Seraing. It has the royal warrant of King Albert The beautiful colours enhance the swirls in the skirt of th...

A rarely seen Italian Mid-Century Modern leaf light, which beautifully curves over the desk, table or surface it sits on. We have maintained the patina from years of use, not wanting...

Discovered on our travels in Italy and still yet to be seen again, this sleek 1920’s Art Deco chrome Bankers desk light with ink well or pen holder ...

Popular lamp which was designed by Busquet and manufactured by Hala Zeist Lampenfababriek in Holland, circa 1960s. This piece features a dark brown dome shade and a flat disc base. I...

An organic and Brutalist style Floor Lamp with Dragon Fly and Leaf design. No chips or cracks. Easily rewired for all regions. Bernard Rooke (born 1938) is a British artist and studio potter. Rooke has exhibited his "Brutalist" ceramics and painting both in the UK and abroad with work in many collections both public and private including the Victoria and Albert Museum, Cleveland Museum of Art, Nuffield Foundation, Röhsska Museum in Sweden and the Trondheim Kunstmuseum in Norway. Bernard Rooke attended Ipswich School of Art studying painting and lithography before going on to study at Goldsmiths College of Art. It was while studying here that he decided to take up pottery. Although unfamiliar with this craft and tradition, he found that working with clay provided new opportunities for freedom of interpretation and creativity. In 1960 Rooke set up his first pottery in Forest Hill in South London along with Alan Wallwork. It was a very small room with enough space for a small electric kiln. He was initially using mainly hand building, coiling, blocking and slabbing techniques. While researching ideas, he was supporting himself by part-time lecturing at London University, Goldsmiths College and St Mary's College. In addition, Rooke's membership of 'The Craftsman Potters' Association' enabled him to show his work in a shop in Carnaby Street in London. In 1967, both the need for a larger working space and becoming disillusioned with living in London spurred Rooke into moving out of the city and to an old mill building in Swilland in Suffolk. Rooke wanted to widen the range of work so as to become more commercial. With the birth of his son, Aaron, and much needed work to be done on the mill, it was important to be able to make a living. In 1968, the Grand Metropolitan Hotel commissioned Rooke to make 120 standard lamps, 120 table lamps as well as a 24 foot long ceramic mural and another 9 foot high, which incorporated interior lighting. The money from the commission helped to pay for much needed restoration work on the mill. By the 1970s, a gallery space was opened in the windmill and run by Susan Rooke, Bernard's wife, selling work to locals and tourists as well as to American airmen based nearby. The vision for Mill Gallery was beginning to develop and alongside this a reputation was building bringing in a good source of income. Sons Aaron and Felix were becoming more involved with the running of the pottery, giving Bernard more time to develop new ideas and designs and more time to continue with his painting. In 2004, the Rooke family decided not to sell to the public through the gallery anymore and close the pottery to concentrate more on painting and printmaking. In 2017 Bernard's lighting was featured in the Exhibition: “Glass, Light, Paint & Clay” at the Peterborough Museum and Art Gallery. The exhibition featured four artists: Bernard Rooke, John Maltby...

A beautiful table lamp in crystal glass with the model name RD by Carl Fagerlund for Orrefors, Sweden. The base is made of crystal glass and reminds one of frozen water, with a very ...

A Space Age Red ladder Desk light from the estate of the late Lady Wanda Boothby, the wife of Conservative peer, Lord Robert Boothby (1900-86). Robert Jo...

A Mid-Century Modern Peill & Putzler glass sea shell desk light or table light made in West Germany, in or around the 1960’s. This highly tactile and very smooth to the touch seashell light...

A Mid-Century Modern style Italian table lamp or desk lamp made of brass and black lacquered metal, with two directional designed lampshades, with one bulb holder in the smaller shad...

A Mid-Century Modern Italian pendant light or chandelier by the long established and respected glass maker Mazzega from the Island of Murano. The light has 10 white sugar spun sec...

Danish designer Svend Aage Holm Sørensen (1913-2004) is known for his self-produced lighting designs dating from the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s. Despite the desirability of his designs on the vintage market, there is a lack of biographical information on the designer and his eponymous manufacturing company. The Danish designer Svend Aage Holm-Sørensen (1913-2004) possessed an artist eye and a very good understanding of the potential of materials, and he understood how to innovate with these. To this day, Holm-Sørensen's style as a designer addresses not only the Nordic market, but also the international interest in the designer's distinctive and experimental expression. Sven Aage was known for being able to draw sketches on almost everything: envelopes, theater programs, even tram tickets he used to sketch his vision. It is speculated that Holm Sørensen designed lights for well-known Danish lighting manufacturers Fog & Mørup and Lyfa in the 1950s, before establishing his own lighting company, Holm Sørensen A/S to produce and distribute his own designs. Holm Sørensen’s style varies greatly, with designs from the 1950s truly reflecting the mid-century modern lighting style, with clear influences from the De Stijl and Bauhaus movements. His attenuated floor and table lamps contain the classic tri-pod base that was popular at the time, referencing such designs as H. Th. J. A. Busquet’s Pinocchio Lamp (1954). From the 1960s onwards, Holm Sørensen’s style changed utterly. His designs diverged from colorful, geometric table lamps and floor lamps, to pendants with raw finished brass and copper surfaces. These pendant lamps showcase Holm Sørensen’s interpretation of the Brutalist style, which was popular from the 1950s to the mid-70s. Originally coined by the Swedish architect Hans Asplund...

A beautiful hand blown Italian glass lamp with vibrant colors. The clear glass on the outer edges appear to reflect colors from its surroundings. Rewired with gold fabric vintage cor...

An organic and Brutalist style Butterly table lamp. No chips or cracks. Easily retired for all regions. Bernard Rooke (born 1938) is a British artist and studio potter. Rooke has exhibited his "Brutalist" ceramics and painting both in the UK and abroad with work in many collections both public and private including the Victoria and Albert Museum, Cleveland Museum of Art, Nuffield Foundation, Röhsska Museum in Sweden and the Trondheim Kunstmuseum in Norway. Bernard Rooke attended Ipswich School of Art studying painting and lithography before going on to study at Goldsmiths College of Art. It was while studying here that he decided to take up pottery. Although unfamiliar with this craft and tradition, he found that working with clay provided new opportunities for freedom of interpretation and creativity. In 1960 Rooke set up his first pottery in Forest Hill in South London along with Alan Wallwork. It was a very small room with enough space for a small electric kiln. He was initially using mainly hand building, coiling, blocking and slabbing techniques. While researching ideas, he was supporting himself by part-time lecturing at London University, Goldsmiths College and St Mary's College. In addition, Rooke's membership of 'The Craftsman Potters' Association' enabled him to show his work in a shop in Carnaby Street in London. In 1967, both the need for a larger working space and becoming disillusioned with living in London spurred Rooke into moving out of the city and to an old mill building in Swilland in Suffolk. Rooke wanted to widen the range of work so as to become more commercial. With the birth of his son, Aaron, and much needed work to be done on the mill, it was important to be able to make a living. In 1968, the Grand Metropolitan Hotel commissioned Rooke to make 120 standard lamps, 120 table lamps as well as a 24 foot long ceramic mural and another 9 foot high, which incorporated interior lighting. The money from the commission helped to pay for much needed restoration work on the mill. By the 1970s, a gallery space was opened in the windmill and run by Susan Rooke, Bernard's wife, selling work to locals and tourists as well as to American airmen based nearby. The vision for Mill Gallery was beginning to develop and alongside this a reputation was building bringing in a good source of income. Sons Aaron and Felix were becoming more involved with the running of the pottery, giving Bernard more time to develop new ideas and designs and more time to continue with his painting. In 2004, the Rooke family decided not to sell to the public through the gallery anymore and close the pottery to concentrate more on painting and printmaking. In 2017 Bernard's lighting was featured in the Exhibition: “Glass, Light, Paint & Clay” at the Peterborough Museum and Art Gallery. The exhibition featured four artists: Bernard Rooke, John Maltby...