Josef Frank, Early and Rare Austrian Walnut and Brass Observatory Floor Lamp
View Similar Items
Josef Frank, Early and Rare Austrian Walnut and Brass Observatory Floor Lamp
About the Item
- Creator:Josef Frank (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 68 in (172.72 cm)Diameter: 33 in (83.82 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1940
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. rewired, polished brass.
- Seller Location:Vienna, AT
- Reference Number:Seller: 4331stDibs: LU101465428943
Josef Frank
Austrian architect and furniture and fabric designer Josef Frank was a leading voice for a gentle, humane modernism. His advocacy of warm, comfortable, eclectically styled environments was highly influential in his adopted country of Sweden, and it’s now widely regarded as a harbinger of the backlash against doctrinaire modernism and the embrace of the homespun that occurred in the late 1960s.
The son of a successful Viennese textile manufacturer, Frank studied architecture at Vienna University of Technology, graduating in 1910. From the first years of his practice, he marched counter to the orderly, symmetrical architectural layouts and decors prescribed by contemporaries such as Adolf Loos.
Frank drafted rooms of varying shapes and called for flexible interior-design arrangements. His furniture pieces are light and easy to move — and his chairs are always made of wood, most often with lushly curved steam-bent arms and slatted backs. Frank openly loathed the tubular steel furnishings and “machine for living” aesthetic promoted by Le Corbusier and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and other Bauhaus principals. “The home must not be a mere efficient machine,” Frank once said. “It must offer comfort, rest and coziness…. There are no puritan principles in good interior decoration.”
Frank — who was Jewish — sensed the dire implications of the rise of Nazism in Germany and Austria, and in 1933 he moved to Stockholm with his Swedish wife, Anna. He became the design chief for the furnishings maker Svenskt Tenn and found a perfect match culturally for his brand of simple, relaxed and bright creations. Like many modernists — notably Charles and Ray Eames and Alexander Girard — Frank had a deep love of folk art, which influenced his designs for a wide array of colorful, richly patterned upholstery fabrics, many based on the classic “Tree of Life” motif.
In all his designs, Frank took inspiration from a broad variety of sources. In his furniture, one can discern traces of Asian patterns, Rococo, Italian Renaissance, Scandinavian handicrafts and even Chippendale pieces. As such, the work of Frank — the friendly modernist — is at home in any type of décor.
Find vintage Josef Frank pillows, armchairs, floor lamps and other furniture on 1stDibs.
- Floor Lamp, Walnut and Brass, Josef Frank for Svenskt TennBy Josef Frank, Svenskt TennLocated in Esbjerg, DKFloor lamp in walnut and brass, model 2548. Designed by Josef Frank for Firma Svenskt Tenn, Sweden, 1952.Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsBrass
- Josef Frank Two-Arms Mid-Century Adjustable Brass Floor Lamp, Austria, 1950sBy Josef FrankLocated in Vienna, ATA very beautiful and unusual Viennese brass floor lamp, attr. Josef Frank in the early 1950s. A charming lamp with two rotatable and height-adjustable arms and lovely details. In excellent condition. Has been carefully restored and rewired and comes with its original refurbished red lampshades.Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsBrass
$3,900 Sale Price32% Off - Tripod Midcentury Floor Brass lamp from Josef Frank by Kalmar, Austria 1940sBy Josef Frank, J.T. KalmarLocated in Halle, DEAn ultra rare Tripod Floor Brass lamp from Josef Frank by Kalmar, Austria 1940s Made of Brass this Lamp is real fine masterpiece of this era. With the elegant formed 3-leg lampbase a...Category
Vintage 1940s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsBrass
- Josef Frank, Floor Lamp, Brass, Paper, Sweden, 1940sBy Josef Frank, Svenskt TennLocated in High Point, NCA brass and paper floor lamp designed by Josef Frank and produced by Svenskt Tenn, Sweden, 1940s. Socket takes standard E-26 medium base bulb. There is no maximum wattage state...Category
Vintage 1940s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsBrass
- Josef Frank Floor Lamp, SwedenBy Josef Frank, Svenskt TennLocated in Stockholm, SEDesigned by Josef Frank, model 2148, produced by Svenskt Tenn. With 4 lights each, controlled with two discreet push switches, allowing two different lighting moods. With a bespoke ...Category
Vintage 1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsBrass
$5,460 / item - Josef Frank, Floor Lamp, Brass, Fabric, Sweden, 1940sBy Josef Frank, Svenskt TennLocated in High Point, NCA brass and fabric floor lamp, designed by Josef Frank and produced by Svenskt Tenn, Sweden, 1940s. Overall Dimensions (inches): 60.75" H x 16.75" Diameter Bulb Specifications: E-26...Category
Vintage 1940s Swedish Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsBrass