QUONDAM REDUX Menu + AboutSourcingShopJournal

← JournalGuide · 1920s–1940sBauhaus, Art Deco and the first task lampsBetween the wars, designers rethought the lamp from the bulb outward. Some stripped it down to glass and metal, some made it glamorous, and some engineered it to put light exactly where it was needed.Quondam Redux · Guide by periodIn this guideThe BauhausArt DecoLamps that moveLight without glareNot everything was modernWhat we look forView photographWeimar porcelain vase with geometric silver overlay, Germany, 1930s–1940s · In our shop now.The Bauhaus.The Bauhaus school in Germany taught that an object’s form should follow its use and suit factory production. Wilhelm Wagenfeld and Carl Jakob Jucker’s table lamp of 1923–24, with a clear glass base and stem under an opal glass dome, is still made today.Marianne Brandt’s Kandem bedside lamp of 1928, designed with Hin Bredendieck for the firm Körting & Mathiesen, was one of the first Bauhaus designs to sell in large numbers.Art Deco.Art Deco takes its name from the 1925 Paris exhibition of decorative arts. Its lamps favor geometry, stepped outlines and rich materials: chrome, bronze, marble, lacquer, and frosted or pressed glass.French glassmakers such as René Lalique and Daum made glass lamps and shades for the top of the market, while American factories made chrome and glass lamps for many more homes.The same look appears across the decorative arts of the time. German porcelain factories such as Weimar laid geometric silver over cobalt glaze, like the vase at the top of this guide, and Bohemian glassworks painted stylized flowers in enamel, like the dresser box below.View photographArt Deco enamel on a Bohemian glass dresser box, possibly Moser · Sold · From our archive.Lamps that move.In 1932 the English engineer George Carwardine designed a desk lamp balanced by springs, so the arm stays wherever you put it. Herbert Terry & Sons began making it in 1935 as the Anglepoise 1227.In 1937 the Norwegian Jac Jacobsen introduced the Luxo L-1, built on the same spring-balanced principle, and it spread the design around the world.Light without glare.In Denmark, Poul Henningsen set out to remove glare. His PH lamps for Louis Poulsen, first shown in 1925, stack several shades, each sized and angled so you never see the bulb directly while the light spreads softly around the room. The PH 5 and the PH Artichoke followed in 1958.Not everything was modern.Traditional styles carried on alongside all of this. Our pair of carved alabaster urn lamps, made in 1930s Italy with bead moldings and acanthus leaves, is entirely classical, and each lamp carries the same number to show they were made as a pair.What we look for.Early or laterMany of these designs have stayed in production. Labels, materials, fittings and wiring help tell an early lamp from a recent one, and we say which we think it is.PlatingChrome and nickel plating pits and wears through. Replating changes the look, so we tell you whether it has been done.Springs and jointsBalanced-arm lamps depend on their springs, and replacement springs are common. We note them.Glass shadesOpal and pressed glass shades chip at the rim, and exact replacements are hard to find.

From this periodIn our archive.Looking for something like these? We can search for a piece from this period.Carved alabaster urn lamps, a pair1930s · AlabasterSold · ArchiveSource something like this →: Carved alabaster urn lamps, a pairRequest sourcing →Explore the Archive →

More guidesKeep reading.Guide · 1780s–1890sLighting before electricityFor most of the nineteenth century, light came from a flame you tended and often carried. The candlesticks and lamps made for it were built to be looked at as much as lit.Guide · 1880s–1920sVictorian, Tiffany and Arts and Crafts lampsElectric light reached homes in these decades, and lamp design went in several directions at once: ornate Victorian parlor lamps, practical desk lamps, Tiffany’s leaded glass and the plain, handmade look of the Arts and Crafts movement.Guide · 1940s–1960sPost-war American lampsAfter the Second World War, Americans bought table lamps the way they bought furniture. Many were assembled from parts made in different countries, and knowing where each part came from tells you a lot about a lamp.

QUONDAM REDUX Antique & vintage lighting.Selected with knowledge. Preserved with care. ShopMurano glassOil lampsRecent AcquisitionsArchive Sourcing & tradeJournalShipping & returnsAboutYour account [email protected] Southern California PrivacyTerms © 2026 Quondam Redux