1960s Articulating Arc Floor Lamp – Parts
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Vintageinfo
Many thanks to José for the help!
1960s Articulating Arc Floor Lamp
Materials: Round Carrara marble base. Chromed metal (iron) curved rods. Brushed aluminium lampshade, painted white inside. 2 black plastic ornamental screws and a rectangular rod holder. Bakelite E27 socket.
Height: 167 cm / 65.74”, adjustable until 220 cm / 86.61”
Width: 120 cm / 47.24” adjustable until 200 cm / 78.74”
Lampshade: ∅ 35 cm / 13.77”
Base: ∅ 35,5 cm x 5 cm / 13.97” x 1.96”
Electricity: 1 bulb E27, 1 x 75 watt maximum, 110/220 volt.
Any type of light bulb can be used, not a specific one preferred.
Period: 1960s, 1970s – Mid-Century Modern.
Designer: To be appraised.
Manufacturer: S.A. Boulanger, Anderlecht, Belgium – attributed.
Other Versions: This 1960s articulating arc floor lamp was also made with acrylic lampshades.
A very similar floor lamp, but with completely different parts and lampshade (see below) was made by the Spanish company T-Pons. No information can be found about it, except for a few lamps.
Do you have an idea about this company? Please let us know through the contact form and help improve the websites exactitude. Your help is much appreciated.
The curved chrome rod is adjustable in length and height with the 2 black plastic ornamental screws.
But, in all probability it is a floor lamp made by S.A. Boulanger from Belgium. It is made in a good quality and most of the time found in Belgium. The lampshade was used for several other lamps, also by Massive from Belgium. Massive sold several lamps made by S.A. Boulanger. This floor lamp was also sold with acrylic lampshades, also typical models by S.A. Boulanger.
S.A. Boulanger
S.A. Boulanger was founded in Anderlecht, Belgium in 1945. The company is famous for the large amount of lights it produced that were designed by Gaetano Sciolari. At some point in the 1980s the company changed their name in Les Ateliers Boulanger NV.
It has long been thought that they were two different companies, but that is because a trader from Liège, Belgium persisted that the lamps came from Herstal, near Liège.
In 1996 the company had 11 employees. The firm moved in 1998 to the Martelarenlaan 155 in 3010 Kessel-Lo, near Leuven. In the period 1995 – 2001 Jean-Philippe Spalart was the CEO. He did a feasibility study for the transfer of the company to China, Eastern Europe and Africa. Relocation of the manufacture in Zimbabwe.
Boulanger was specialised in metal processing and manufacturers high-end lamps and lighting fixtures. Les Ateliers Boulanger ended business in 2006.
Massive & Boulanger
Massive sold several Boulanger models over the years. The only difference is the typical Massive canopy/ceiling cap and some other parts.
Old text from the 1990s
“Boulanger sells mainly in the high-end lighting markets in Belgium, Germany and Luxembourg. The growing sales in the US and in South Africa are of growing importance to the company. Due to the highly competitive market, having product with a high added value is very important. The intelligent lamp is an important advantage, compared to our competitors, and will increase our market share in an important way.
The most important local competitors are Massive, a Belgian company, market leader in Europe (turnover of 100 MEUR), Deknudt at Deerlijk (turnover 2.5 MEUR) and some 10 other Belgian competitors of its own size. There is important competition from southern European and Asian competitors. The market share of Boulanger is only a few percent of the share of the Belgian companies. It is a small company with a turnover of about 300 k EURO.”
“Most Boulanger lamps are low voltage and halogen lamps (220V up to 300W or 12V up to 50W).
The products are sold to retail shops. In Belgium, about 300 retail shops sell its products. There are around 40 retail shops abroad: Luxembourg, Germany, France and South Africa.”
VLM Components
All the electric parts were made by VLM Components in the 1960s, 1970s. VLM Components was founded in 1945 in Buccinasco, a small village near Milan, Italy. VLM Components is part of the Relco Group, founded in 1967. Today they are the owners of the brands Relco, Leuci, Relco Lighting, VLM Components and Segno. VLM Components became famous for the switches they produce which were designed by Achille Castiglioni in 1968. This switch is model 475.
Lamps in the movies
A 1960s articulating arc floor lamp made by T-Pons, Spain appears in the Belgian TV series Huizenjagers (House hunters) in October 2021, season 8, episode 11 on Play 4.
