To be perfectly frank I was not educated in the Brutalist syle of the 50's and 60's. That's the great thing about the vintage and collectables trade, it's a never ending learning curve. I'm not a newbie to the trade as my lovely wife has been in business for many years and I've already assimilated so much from her, but this one was a new one for me personally. A consignor to our store brought in a lamp they described as pretty ugly for their personal taste although I as a guy I loved this lamp. As it turns out I purchased the lamp and my consignor actually forwarded me the credentials (many thanks Marty!) which they had run across in doing their own research. Here are some pics...The base looks like cast pewter painted black and the body seems to be brass formed in two pieces. The only steel in the piece is the circular support plate inside the light. Except for the wiring it appears to be in perfect vintage condition although it's missing the bottom felt or whatever the original bottom surface was constructed of.
As it turns out this particular lamp was designed by Maurizio Tempestini for Laurel Lighting. Some of the dates for manufacture I've seen state the 70's but the Italian interior designer passed away in 1960 so I'm guessing this was late 50's or early 60 unless it was produced after his death. It came sans a shade and the harp is new although the wiring is frayed and appears to be original. I have yet to see a lamp intact with its original shade although one just sold on Ebay without a shade for about $500 and I've seen listed for up to $1600 in the high end market. If anyone has any documentation on what the original shade was please give me a heads up! I would love to put out on our floor for sale at Kaleidoscope or maybe just keep for myself but want to give it a complimentary head dressing! Not that this piece really needs it as it's a piece of art as it stands. Shoot me an e-mail or post here ont the blog if you have any ideas.
Thanks for checking in!
A Modern Line
amodernline@gmail.com
