1980s Bauhaus Style Table Lamp

Materials: Chromed metal (iron) round base. Galvanised iron bottom plate. Chrome rod. Some brass and iron parts. Black mushroom style lampshade, painted white inside. Brass ornamental nut on top. White painted Bakelite E27 socket.

Height: 48 cm / 18.89”

Lampshade: ∅ 39 cm / 15.35”

Base: ∅ 18 cm / 7.08”

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: 1980s, 1990s – Bauhaus, art deco style.

Designer: To be appraised. Made after a design from 1934 by Max Schumacher (1885 – ?) for Werner Schröder (Metallwerk Werner Schröder, Lobenstein, Germany).

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

Other versions: This 1980s Bauhaus style table lamp exists in several variations.

The label says: Swann 034043 Art. 12269/01 Max. 60 W / 250 V Made in Belgium. Only 1 Swann (Swann Ets NV) company exists in Belgium for the last 40 years and it is active in the food industry and it is located in Menen. In all probability this table lamp is named Swann.

This table/desk lamp has no label of Massive, not really unusual for the brand at that time. Later Massive labels are made the same way but the name Massive is present. It then became mandatory in the European Union (EU).

All the electric parts of this table lamp are made in the late 1980s, 1990s by VLM Components from Buccinasco, near Milan.

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.