Brown Witch Hat Pendant Lamp

Materials: Brown painted metal (iron) witch hat lampshade, painted white on the inside. Brown metal top, some metal parts. Bakelite E27 socket.

Chain Length: 80 cm / 31.49”

Height: 20 cm / 7.87”

Width: ∅ 46,5 cm / 18.30”

Electricity: 1 bulb E27, 1 x 75 watt maximum, 110/220 volt.
Any type of light bulb with an E27 screw base can be used.

Period: 1970s, 1980s – Mid-Century Modern.

Designer: To be appraised.

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

Other versions: This brown witch hat pendant lamp was probably 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 (wire and 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.

The label of this lamp is disappeared but Massive was a major client of VLM Components. Many lamps made by Massive uses VLM parts.