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.
Pair of Early 20th Century Royal Doulton Slaters Stoneware Lamps
£ 1,450
Church Street Antiques
Pair of 19th Century Sevres Style Porcelain & Gilt Bronze Table Lamps
£ 1,400
Judy Fox Antiques
Pair of Impressive Fine Cast Brass Table Lamps in The Early Gothic Style
£ 475
Koos Limburg Jnr
Clarice Cliff Table Lamp in Her “My Garden” Pattern by Newport Pottery
£ 100
Lifestyle Warehouse
A Superb Late 19th Century French Rococo Style Gilded Brass Table Lamp
£ 175
Lifestyle Warehouse
Antique Pair of Crystal and Gilt Bronze Lamps with a Pineapple Motif
£ 1,400
Judy Fox Antiques
Pair of Vintage Danish Ceramic Table Lamps by Einar Johansen for Soholm
£ 1,950
Marylebone Antiques
Pair of Signed Italian Hand-painted Ceramic Table Lamps
£ 695
Marlborough Antiques & Interiors
Pair of Vintage Danish Ceramic Table Lamps by Einar Johansen for Soholm
£ 2,400
Marylebone Antiques
Pair of Vintage Swedish Brass Table Lamps by Hans-agne Jakobsson
£ 1,450
Marylebone Antiques
