1970s Clothespin Clamp Lamp

Materials: Round yellow aluminium lampshade, painted white inside. Folded chrome slat handle. White plastic clothespin, chrome spring. Bakelite E14 socket.

Lampshade: 11 x 8 cm / 4.33 x 3.14” 

Clothespin: 12 x 7,5 cm  / 4.72 x 2.95”

Rod: 10 cm / 3.93”

Electricity: 1 bulb E14, 1 x 40 watt maximum, 110/220 volt.
Any type of light bulb can be used. But preferably a small one. For this setup a round small white light bulb was used.

Period: 1970s – Mid-Century Modern.

Designer: To be appraised.

Manufacturer: Massive, Mortsel, Kontich and Wommelgem, Belgium. (attributed).

Other versions: This 1970s clothespin clamp lamp was in all probability produced in several colours.

Massive 

Massive was in origin a bronze foundry and they produced mainly candlesticks, crucifixes and chandeliers in Wilrijk near Antwerp, Belgium. The company was founded in 1926 by Pieter-Jozef De Jaeck. His son Eddy De Jaeck was responsible for the huge expansion of the company in the 1970s. But it were his sons, Piet and Jan De Jaeck who made Massive a true multinational. Thus, they moved production to Eastern Europe and China.

In the 1980s Massive became the leading brand in Europe. In 2002, the brothers left the company to the investment fund CVC Capital Partners, for allegedly more than 250 million euros. Since 2008 the company is owned by Philips and the name of the shops is changed into Light Gallery.

When the takeover by Philips was announced in November 2006 Massive commercialized more than 10.000 lighting products under brand names such as Massive, TRIO and Lirio. The group had about 5.000 employees worldwide and was active in 70 countries.

Massive sold many lamps made by others. Peill + Putzler from Germany and Yamada Shomei from Japan produced lamps for Massive, to name a few. Many other lighting companies did.

VLM Components

The electric parts (plug, switch, wire, socket) are Italian and made by VLM Components from Buccanisco, near Milan. The company is famous for the switches they produced designed by Achille Castiglioni.

Massive was a was a major client at VLM Components. Many lamps by the company uses VLM parts.