Modlife Home Lighting

Solid alabaster lamp, hand carved in Italy, in Chinoiserie style by Marbro Company. Lamps are sold separately and are slightly different heights noted below. Alabaster is 22"H. 2 ...

This somewhat cylindrical petrified wood lamp is topped by a charcoal gray linen shade with a white plastic liner and European mounting. Single socket electrified for US use. Petri...

Marbro porcelain tobacco leaf and pheasant table lamp. Offered for sale is an elegant Hollywood Regency porcelain table lamp by the Marbro Lamp ...

Monumental Tall Richard Barr Brutalist Laurel Table Lamps, restored pair Offered for sale is a fabulous pair of mid-century modern sculptural Brutalist table lamps designed by Richa...

Gorgeous! Bespoke Laurel Lamp Mid Century Modern Brass and Enameled Metal Incredible Rust-Orange Color! Attributed to Richard Barr This is an amazing bespoke Laurel Table Lamp wi...

Large, Asian influenced, solid pink alabaster lamp with pierced, faux armatures, matching foot and finial. The whole atop a veneered, wood base. Ma...

Gorgeous vintage brass Marbro table lamp depicting 2 peacocks sitting on a tree stump. We love the larger mother peacock watching over her baby who is lo...

This beautiful little lamp can be used as a desk lamp by just adjusting the lower knuckle to the highest point, which we did for our measurement, or you can lower it with that same knuckle. You can change the angle of the shade with the 2nd knuckle. The beauty is in the lovely painted scene on the shade and the rich gilt patina on the base, which is highlighted with red accent. This really is a little gem. Very high quality and guaranteed to be made by the Pittsburgh Lamp Co. We've sold enough of their lamps to recognize their work. So much more fun than the usual green shade bankers lamp...

A Marbro turned green glass table lamp retaining its original lamp shade with Greek key design. Excellent original condition. Base measures 7' diameter. Marbro Lamp Company The company was founded by Morris Markoff and his brother, hence the name Marbro from Markoff brothers. They started the company shortly after WWII. The company was located in a 3 story brick building in the garment district of Los Angeles, just south of Downtown right by the Santa Monica Freeway. During the time they ran the company, they sold almost as many antiques as they did lamps. They also had a sizeable business in decorative accessories such as tables and a lot of animal figurines. There were quite a few dog figurines that were life-size. One dog figurine was a life-size Great Dane purchased by the actor Jack Webb who starred as Sgt. Joe Friday in the 1951 TV hit series, Dragnet. There were quite a few celebrities that came in to their shop. One actress who shopped there repeatedly was Deborah Shelton who at the time played the part of “Mandy” on the TV series Dallas (remember J.R.). Marbro sold their products mainly through interior designers and a few upscale furniture stores. You would not find a Marbro product in a chain furniture store or a discount store. Most of the products were built to order. A typical order from a designer or retailer took between 75 and 90 days to complete. Most of the components that made up the lamp bodies (ceramic, brass, glass, etc) were purchased from small companies around the world. In the later years almost all of the brass came from India. For the most part, none of the bodies were made on site. Marbro was well-known for importing a variety of unique lighting components from all-over the world. Italy was the source for alabaster, Japan and China for Porcelain, Brass in India and Crystal from Germany and France. Lamps would also be made from sculptures that customers brought to in to the shop. Once the lamp bodies arrived, a group of Marbro employees would make the wood bases, spin the metal caps, make the shades, and do the painting and tinting. With the help of about 20-40 other true world class artisans, metal workers, finishers and handmade shade makers, they produced lamps and shades that were truly some of last of their kind of art. For example, Marbro brass was never just plain brass. It was stained with a tinting that was homemade and kept secret by the company which is reminiscent of the Handel Lamp Co. of the early 1900s. There were quite a few of these preparations all kept in one of those little metal boxes on a 3 x 5” file card just like a recipe. It was truly a unique method of making lamps. Many of the lamp bodies that the company bought were not exactly matched as pairs. Sometimes 10-20 crystal vases would have to be sorted through to get 2 of the exact same height so that if the lamps were purchased as a pair, they would match. All of the shades were made by hand by a group of women on the second floor of the building with very little automation. The manufacturing plant was closed in Los Angeles in December 1990 and the inventory and equipment were moved to Labarge Mirrors in Holland, Michigan. At the time Labarge Mirrors was a Masco Corp subsidiary. Some time later, the Marbro product line was discontinued. Eventually, Masco sold most of their home furnishings manufacturing holdings. Marbo assembled a very talented, experienced and unique group of artists and craftsmen and many of their Fine lamps exhibit a certain unique signature style. Most of the employees were in their 50’s and older. There were quite a few employees in their late 1960s and 1970s. Today their lamps are collectible and sought after especially by certain knowledgeable collectors who are familiar with the company's lamps and history. Many of Marbro lamp are commonly referred to as “Hollywood Regency” style. This rather lavish style of decorative arts is currently in the midst of a tremendous and accelerating revival. It is obvious from the company's careful selection of art objects and their unique proprietary methods of lamp making that their goal was to design beautiful unique and very high quality lamps. Their success is obvious from the very Fine collectible Marbro lamps that are still sought after today. Marbro lamps present a particular appraisal Challenge due to their very unique style and market conditions. Generally, there are fewer collectors of Marbro lamps as compared to many other lamp companies of the 1900 - 1950’s era. This in no way devalues your lamp but implies a special category of a more limited number of buyers and collectors. During the 1950s, Marbro sold to many very affluent customers including movie stars and others connected to the film industry. Their lamps were considered very exclusive and definitley high end for that period. The key to selling vintage Marbro lamps...

A towering 1950s Chinese archaistic-style brass table lamp by the Marbro Lamp Company, done in the manner of James Mont. Striking interpretation of a three-footed archaic ritual bronze from the Shang or Zhou dynasties. Such vessels furnished the tombs of China’s elite, and were used to hold offerings of food and drink for ones’ ancestors. Crafted to Marbro’s typical high standards in the style of Hollywood Regency designer James Mont’s chinoiserie...

Vintage pair of Mid century Modern table lamps for sale. They are both in good condition, and rare. They have a solid wood base in a walnut finish, and a gold leaf wood layered on to...

Brutalist Sculptural Lamp by Richard Barr for Laurel Lamp Company. Patinated bronzed steel sculpted into an abstract ribbon type shape. Mounted on stee...