Bronze Bonsai Table Lamp

Materials: Flat black lacquered wooden base. Bronze style brass bonsai tree, made in some copper alloy. Brass rod. Black conical paper & cardboard lampshade with 2 gold coloured rims. Bakelite E27 socket.

Height: 50 cm / 19.68”

Width: 35 cm / 13.77”

Base: 20 cm / 7.87”

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, 1980s – Hollywood Regency.

Designer: To be appraised.

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

Other versions: Massive produced many lamps in the style of this bronze bonsai table lamp. You can find several examples here on Vintageinfo.

These lamps are often attributed to Willy Daro, a famous Belgian artist, light and furniture designer and producer. But it is a HOAX. Willy Daro never designed for Massive.

Willy Daro created several lamps and tables in this style but in the high-end range. More information about Willy Daro can be found here on Vintageinfo.

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.

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.