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1950s Cobra Desk Lamp – S.A. Boulanger Version, Model 4324
1950s Cobra Desk Lamp – S.A. Boulanger Version, Model 4324 – Early 1960s Catalogue picture
1950s Cobra Desk Lamp – Different Lamp Base Crowfoot Style
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1950s Cobra Desk Lamp
Materials: Light yellow painted oval cast iron base. Painted with wrinkle paint. Conical brass rod/tube. Brass gooseneck. Light yellow aluminium folded lampshade perforated with elongated slots, painted white inside. White painted rod and brass E27 socket.
Height: 45 cm / 17.71” – adjustable
Lampshade: 27,5 x 24 cm / 10.82 x 9.44”
Base: 16 x 11 cm / 6.29 x 4.33”
Electricity: 1 bulb E27, 1 x 75 watt maximum, 110/220 volt.
Any type of light bulb can be used, not a specific one preferred.
Period: 1950s – Mid-Century Modern.
Designer: To be appraised.
Manufacturer: Gebrüder Cosack, Neheim-Hüsten, Germany – attributed.
Other versions: This 1950s cobra desk lamp comes in many colours. Made in a few variations. As you can see on this page. Probably some other versions were also made.
This lamp is always called Cobra because of its appearance. There is no reason to believe that the manufacturer did the same, since all Cosack lamps simply had a number and no name.
The Belgian company S.A. Boulanger made or sold a version of this lamp with a closed lampshade, without the elongated slits and a few other small differences, model 4324, as you can see. They may have sold other versions too.
Attributed to Cosack because I have no catalogue photo of it or have ever come across a lamp with a label. Attributed because it is so stated in a book of a German museum. It says that this lamp is in a wholesale catalogue by Möller from 1958.
Possibly it is a lamp by S.A. Boulanger after all. Cosack and Boulanger certainly worked together for years. Considering that they were still selling the same lamps in the late 1960s. As you can see with this beautiful desk lamp.
Cosack Leuchten
The GebrüderCosack (Gecos) company was founded in 1848 as a metal processing plant in Neheim-Hüsten, Germany by Egon, Friedrich and Theodor Cosack together with Gottliebe Tappe. It was named Metallwarenfabrik Tapp + Cosack. In the beginning they made liturgical items, crosses and upholstery nails made of brass and they also produced kerosene lamps. Later the company came to the production of electric lamps.
After the Second World War Cosack pursued a modern direction. A best seller were copper lighting for restaurants. It is said that the company was declared bankrupt in 1984, but the last catalogue I have (1989 -1990) was published in 1989.
Best known designers: Gottfried Stürzenhofecker, K. H. Kinsky, Hans Wilfried Hegger, Hans-Joachim Groth, Burkhard Panteleit, Joachim O. Becker, Prof. Friedrich Becker, Waldemar Rothe and Jan Armgardt.
Gebrüder Cosack (Gecos) received 15 iF Design Awards.
1950s Cobra Desk Lamp – Electric Parts
BJB
The socket of this desk lamp was made by BJB. BJB is Brökelmann, Jäger and Busse, BJB GmbH & Co. KG. The BJB company was founded in 1867 and started with petroleum lighting. The company still exists. Today they produce LED lamps, terminal blocks and connectors, lamp holders for conventional lighting and switches. They are active in the whole world. BJB GmbH & Co. KG is located on Werler Strasse 1, 59755, Arnsberg, Germany.
VLM Components
The switch was made by VLM Components. VLM Components was founded in 1945 in Buccinasco, a small village near Milan, Italy. VLM Components is part of the Relco Group, founded in 1967. Today they are the owners of the brands Relco, Leuci, Relco Lighting, VLM Components and Segno. VLM Components became famous for the switches they produce which were designed by Achille Castiglioni in 1968.
S.A. Boulanger
S.A. Boulanger was founded in Anderlecht, Belgium in 1945. The company is famous for the large amount of lights it produced that were designed by Gaetano Sciolari. At some point in the 1980s the company changed their name inLes Ateliers Boulanger NV.
It has long been thought that they were two different companies, but that is because a trader from Liège, Belgium persisted that the lamps came from Herstal, near Liège.
In 1996 the company had 11 employees. The firm moved in 1998 to the Martelarenlaan 155 in 3010 Kessel-Lo, near Leuven. In the period 1995 – 2001 Jean-Philippe Spalart was the CEO. He did a feasibility study for the transfer of the company to China, Eastern Europe and Africa. Relocation of the manufacture in Zimbabwe.
Boulanger was specialised in metal processing and manufacturers high-end lamps and lighting fixtures. Les Ateliers Boulanger ended business in 2006.
Massive & Boulanger
Massive sold several Boulanger models over the years. The only difference is the typical Massive canopy/ceiling cap and some other parts.
Old text from the 1990s
“Boulanger sells mainly in the high-end lighting markets in Belgium, Germany and Luxembourg. The growing sales in the US and in South Africa are of growing importance to the company. Due to the highly competitive market, having product with a high added value is very important. The intelligent lamp is an important advantage, compared to our competitors, and will increase our market share in an important way.
The most important local competitors are Massive, a Belgian company, market leader in Europe (turnover of 100 MEUR), Deknudt at Deerlijk (turnover 2.5 MEUR) and some 10 other Belgian competitors of its own size. There is important competition from southern European and Asian competitors. The market share of Boulanger is only a few percent of the share of the Belgian companies. It is a small company with a turnover of about 300 k EURO.”
“Most Boulanger lamps are low voltage and halogen lamps (220V up to 300W or 12V up to 50W).
The products are sold to retail shops. In Belgium, about 300 retail shops sell its products. There are around 40 retail shops abroad: Luxembourg, Germany, France and South Africa.”
Links (external links open in a new window)
Brökelmann, Jäger und Busse – Wikipedia
Many thanks to Gael for the image of the S.A. Boulanger desk lamp.
Many thanks to Max from AfterMidnight for the S.A. Boulanger catalogue picture.
