Following on from simple gas lamps and candlesticks, the advent of electricity at the end of the 19th Century gave designers the opportunity to fundamentally re-imagine our lighting. Soon innovative and beautifully elegant designs emerged inspired by nature as well as by modern industrial life. Indeed because electric lamps had no ancestral precedent they were free to be bold, quirky and brave- and many were. Today we are fortunate to have over 100 years of desk and table lamp designs to choose from, incorporating all manner of materials and forms.
To many people desk lamps really excelled in quality during the 1920s to 1950s when design was both modern and functional. You could find examples covered in thick Italian leather, made of bright eye-catching new plastics or even contrasting sleek polished metals. The classic articulated arm emerged in the 1930s both from Herbert Terry in the UK and companies like Jielde in France and after being popular in factories and offices earned a permanent spot in our homes as well. Table lamps in contrast were always intended for the home use and came in all manner of forms and materials with paper or cloth covered shades to soften the glare of the lightbulb. Although there are many designs of modern lamp we can choose from also, older examples usually have the added beauty of patination and wear.
At LoveAntiques we have a great selection of appealing antique and vintage lamps from reputable sellers across the UK.
Koos Limburg Jnr
Fine & Stylish Brass Table Lamp 1900-1920
£ 475
Koos Limburg Jnr
Very Decorative Gilded Brass Table Lamp
£ 575
Marylebone Antiques
1970s Pair of Vintage French Georgia Jacob 'Flaming' Table Lamps
£ 745
£ 950
£ 550
artsncraftsfurniture
Art Deco Oak Table Lamp
£ 45
Salisbury Antiques Centre
Pair of Asian Table Lamps
£ 680
O Keeffe Antiques
French Pair Of Giltwood Table Lamps
£ 475
Marylebone Antiques
Antique French Gilt Bronze Table Lamp
£ 3,250
Newark Antiques and Interiors Ltd
Early French Brass Banker’s Desk Lamp by Niam
£ 285
Driscolls Antiques Ltd
Quality Brass Corinthian Column Antique Lamp
£ 225
£ 500
£ 475
Elmgarden
French Art Deco Twin Table Lamp
£ 350
£ 845
£ 550
£ 475
£ 600
£ 475
A Pair of Brass Neo Roman Table Lamps. After a Model of 12/13th Century
£ 475
Koos Limburg Jnr
Reepham Antiques
Pair of Waterford Cut Glass Table Lamps
£ 950
O Keeffe Antiques
Spanish Pair of Silver Plated Valenti Table Lamps
£ 1,250
£ 775
Town House Traders Ltd
Pair of Gilt & Marble Cherub Table Lamps
£ 280
Marylebone Antiques
1960s Vintage French Desk Lamp by Solere Paris
£ 545
£ 295
Marylebone Antiques
Pair of Brass Table Lamps with Tole Shades
£ 1,450
O Keeffe Antiques
Spanish Pair of Silver Plated Valenti Table Lamps
£ 1,250
O Keeffe Antiques
French Bronze Single Antique Table Lamp
£ 395
Marlborough Antiques & Interiors
Kitsch 1960s Italian Metal Orb Table Lamp with Realistic Lilies
£ 345
Kitsch 1960s Italian Metal Orb Table Lamp with Realistic Lilies
£ 345
Marlborough Antiques & Interiors
In a Nutshell Antiques & Interiors Ltd
Delhi Electric Engineering Works Brass Table Lamp
£ 120
Delhi Electric Engineering Works Brass Table Lamp
£ 120
In a Nutshell Antiques & Interiors Ltd
Marlborough Antiques & Interiors
Pair of White Marble Pillar Lamps
£ 445
Roger Grimes Antiques
Tall Brass 1920s Table Lamp
£ 180
B Southgate
Stylish Lucite Table Lamp
£ 475
Graham Smith Antiques Ltd
Two Marble & Ormolu Table Lamps
£ 1,600
B Southgate
Quirky Mid Century Lamp
£ 195
Marlborough Antiques & Interiors
Very Attractive Art Nouveau French Gilt Metal Shell Lamp
£ 2,450
Very Attractive Art Nouveau French Gilt Metal Shell Lamp
£ 2,450
Marlborough Antiques & Interiors
Marylebone Antiques
Pair of Solid Brass Table Lamps
£ 450
Marlborough Antiques & Interiors
Pair of Chinese Style Hand Painted Porcelain Lamps
£ 845