1970s Gold Sphere Table Lamp

Materials: Gold coloured anodised aluminium globe base with a tube on top. Cardboard and fabric tubular lampshade with 3 gold coloured aluminium rings. Bakelite E27 socket.

Total Height: 42 cm / 16.53”

Height: 26 cm / 10.23”

Lampshade: ∅ 20,5 cm / 8.07”

Base: ∅ 15 cm / 5.90”

Electricity: 1 bulb E27, 1 x 60 watt maximum, 110/220 volt.
Any type of light bulb can be used, not a specific one preferred.

Period: 1970s – Mid-Century Modern.

Designer: To be appraised.

Manufacturer: Massive, Mortsel, Kontich and Wommelgem, Belgium.

Other versions: This 1970s gold sphere table lamp was probably sold with several different lampshades. The gold colour was used for several other lamps made by Massive. Another example can be found here.

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 commercialised 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.

VLM Components

All the electric parts of this lamp were made in the late 60s, early 70s by VLM Components from Buccinasco, near Milan in Italy. The company is famous for the switches designed by Achille Castiglioni in 1968.