1950s Cosack Crowfoot Desk Lamp

Materials: Blue cast iron crowfoot base. Curved brass rod & joint. Light yellow aluminium lampshade, painted white inside. Some metal parts. Brass E27 socket.

Lampshade: ∅ 26,5 cm / 10.43”

Height: 49 cm / 19.29”

Width: 40 cm / 15.74”

Electricity: 1 bulb E27, 1 x 100 watt maximum, 110/220 volt.
Any type of light bulb can be used, not a specific one preferred.

Period: 1950s, 1960s – Mid-Century Modern.

Designer: Karl-Heinz Kinsky.

Manufacturer: Gebrüder Cosack – Gecos, Neheim-Hüsten, Germany.

Other versions: This 1950s Cosack crowfoot desk lamp exists in several colours and sizes. Many different lampshades were used. Also a smaller version exists, you can find an example over here.

Louis Kalff

These lamps are often attributed to Dutch designer Louis Kalff, but Louis Kalff never designed lamps for the German Cosack company. Furthermore, Philips, the company Louis Kalff worked for in The Netherlands, never produced lamps with a crowfoot base. You will never find a crowfoot lamp in a Philips catalogue.

The Idman Oy company from Finland also produced a lamp with a crowfoot with a slightly different crowfoot base. It is also often attributed to Cosack or Louis Kalff. You can find it over here in the 1958 catalogue.

Cosack

The Gebrüder Cosack (Gecos) company was founded in 1833 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.

In 1921 a cardboard factory was started, originally for packaging the Cosack Group‘s own products, including lights, nails, rivets and kitchen appliances.

After the Second World War Cosack pursued a modern direction. A best seller were copper lighting for restaurants. The company was declared bankrupt in 1984.

The cardboard factory still exists. The sixth generation is now running the business at the Cosack plant.

Best known designers: Ursula or Gottfried Stürzenhofecker (unclear, they are both designers), K. H. Kinsky.  

Gebrüder Cosack (Gecos) received 15 iF Design Awards. 

Erwi

This lamp has a cast iron base made by Erwi model number YF67. Erwi was a cast iron producer, not a lamp producer. The company made cast iron counterweights for several lighting companies. Erwi produced many items in cast iron, for instance also Christmas tree stands. In all probability a German company. The company no longer exists.

At least Kaiser Leuchten and Cosack Leuchten, both from Germany, used cast iron from Erwi for their lamps.