Pair of Matte Porcelain, Stacked Gourd Lamps by Gerald Thurston
View Similar Items
Pair of Matte Porcelain, Stacked Gourd Lamps by Gerald Thurston
About the Item
- Creator:Gerald Thurston (Maker)
- Dimensions:Height: 32 in (81.28 cm)Diameter: 7 in (17.78 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Miami, FL
- Reference Number:Seller: LTLJAC1791stDibs: 1404259161820
Gerald Thurston
As the leading designer at Lightolier during the postwar building and design boom, Gerald Thurston created his clever lighting — sleek floor lamps, table lamps and desk lamps— to suit the American lifestyles of 1950s and 1960s. His designs were at the forefront of the mid-century modern lighting revolution — like much of the visionary work being done at the time in furniture and interiors, Thurston’s fixtures are both elegant and totally innovative, reflecting the exploration of new ideas and new technology that consumed designers of the era.
Thurston eventually led a stellar team of international lighting designers at Lightolier. He was important to the pioneering East Coast-based electric lighting company, and rumor has it that because he sketched every design on craft paper, the manufacturer insured his right hand for one million American dollars.
While enrolled in the School of the Art Institute of Chicago during the 1930s, where he earned his degree in industrial design, Thurston worked as a freelance designer for the Zenith Radio Corporation. Once he graduated, he found a position at the New Metal Craft Company. There he designed custom lighting fixtures and decorative objects for architects and interior designers.
Lightolier enticed Thurston to join them in approximately 1950. That same year, New York’s Museum of Modern Art featured a green floor lamp of his in their Good Design Exhibition of 1950. The sculptural lamps that Thurston created for Lightolier are representative of his interest in Scandinavian modernist lighting as well as the revolutionary designs produced by postwar Italian companies such as Arredoluce and Arteluce. (Lightolier partnered with the latter, and Thurston found inspiration in the work of Arteluce founder Gino Sarfatti.)
During Thurston’s decades-long tenure with Lightolier, he became internationally known for his many designs. His modernist fixtures are characterized by clean lines, vibrant colors and an appealing meld of metals and rich woods. His slender-legged Lightolier Tripod floor lamp, introduced in the 1960s, garnered widespread acclaim, while his whimsical Cricket lamp, with its arthropodan shade and slim brass frame, is wholly versatile — it can be hung as a sconce or positioned on a desk and offers direct or diffused light.
On 1stDibs, find vintage Gerald Thurston lighting, decorative objects and more.
- Gerald Thurston Lightolier Ceramic Gourd LampsBy Gerald ThurstonLocated in St.Petersburg, FLTwo Gerald Thurston for Lightolier ceramic gourd lamps. Priced $1,800 each. The brass bases and spacers are in either dark dark bronze finish or pol...Category
Vintage 1960s American Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass
$1,800 / item - Gerald Thurston Porcelain LampsBy Gerald ThurstonLocated in New York, NYMid-Century Classic ivory glazed porcelain lamps with speckled horizontal stripes resting on matte finished bases with an aged brass band. Lamps have been rewired for use in the USA ...Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass
$4,500 / set - Pair of Gerald Thurston LampsBy Gerald ThurstonLocated in New York, NYPair of sculptural table lamps in a white Matte porcelain by Gerald Thurston for Lightolier. The lamps each have three light sockets and they have been newly rewired. One lamps has...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass
$2,800 / set - Pair of Sculptural Lamps by Gerald ThurstonBy Gerald ThurstonLocated in New York, NYPair of Sculptural table lamps in white matte porcelain by Gerald Thurston for Lightolier. The lamps each have three light sources and they have been newly rewired. There is a slight...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass
$2,895 / set - Gerald Thurston for Lightolier Triple Gourd-Form Table LampBy Gerald Thurston, LightolierLocated in Chicago, ILStunning Lightolier table lamp in white satin glazed ceramic stacked spherical bodies. Each segment separated by a brass ring spacer. Base is a brass plate. The three socket lighting...Category
Vintage 1950s American Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass, Metal
- Pair of Tall Cream Lamps by Gerald ThurstonBy Gerald ThurstonLocated in Westport, CTPair of tall cream lamps by Gerald Thurston. Measures: full lamp: 38" tall. lamp shade: 15" tall x 18" wide. lamp base: 21" tall x 7.5" wide.Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass
Sold$3,075 / set