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← JournalGuide · 1950s–1970sMid-century design classicsAfter the war, lighting became a showcase for designers. Japanese paper, Italian marble and new plastics produced lamps that are still made, and widely copied, today.Quondam Redux · Guide by periodIn this guideAkari light sculpturesItalian designMurano glassSpace Age plasticsWhat we look forView photographJapanese silk lampshades, a pair, 1950s · Sold · From our archive.Akari light sculptures.From 1951 the sculptor Isamu Noguchi designed Akari lamps, made by hand in Gifu, Japan, by the Ozeki company. Each is washi paper stretched over bamboo ribs, and most fold flat.Genuine Akari carry Noguchi’s signature and a red sun-and-moon symbol printed on the paper.Japanese makers also made lamps and shades for export. The pair of 1950s silk shades at the top of this guide, hand-painted with cherry branches, were made to go on blanc de chine porcelain lamps sold in America.Italian design.Italian manufacturers led the period. Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni’s Arco floor lamp of 1962, made by Flos, hangs its shade from a long steel arc balanced by a block of Carrara marble, so it can light a table without wiring in the ceiling.Vico Magistretti’s Eclisse of 1965, made by Artemide, has an inner shade you rotate to dim the light, like an eclipse; it won the Compasso d’Oro design award in 1967. Gae Aulenti’s Pipistrello of the same year, made by Martinelli Luce, has a telescopic stem and a shade shaped like a bat’s wings.Murano glass.Murano workshops such as Venini, Mazzega and Vistosi made lamps in colored and clear glass in these years, including rounded mushroom-shaped table lamps. Our guide to Murano and Venetian glass covers the techniques and how to tell them apart.Space Age plastics.New plastics let designers mold a lamp in a few bright pieces. Verner Panton’s Panthella of 1971, made by Louis Poulsen, with its dome shade on a flared stem, became one of the best-known lamps of the period.Plastic yellows, crazes and cracks with age and sunlight, so condition matters even more here than with metal or glass.What we look for.ReissuesAkari, the Arco, the Eclisse and the Panthella are all still made. Older examples differ in labels, materials and fittings, and we tell you which you’re looking at.CopiesArc lamps and paper lanterns have been copied widely. A marble base, maker’s marks and Noguchi’s signature help identify the real thing.Paper and plasticWashi tears and stains; plastic yellows and cracks. Neither repairs invisibly, so we photograph the damage.Original partsSwitches, diffusers and fittings were often made for one model. Missing originals are hard to replace, and we say when one has been substituted.

From this periodIn our archive.Looking for something like these? We can search for a piece from this period.Painted silk drum shades, a pair1950s · SilkSold · ArchiveSource something like this →: Painted silk drum shades, a pairReticulated porcelain jar lamp1960s · PorcelainSold · ArchiveSource something like this →: Reticulated porcelain jar lampRequest sourcing →Explore the Archive →

More guidesKeep reading.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.Guide · 20th centuryMurano and Venetian glassGlassmakers on Murano have worked color into glass for more than seven centuries. Learning to see their techniques is the first step to knowing what you’re looking at, and what you’re not.Guide · 1950s–1980sMid-century and modern makersFrom Swedish stoneware to Californian oak, the best modern lighting stripped away ornament and kept the maker’s hand. Often the only record of who made a piece is a small sticker or stamp.

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