1970s Red Ceramic Table Lamp
Materials: Red glazed ceramics (earthenware) round base with 5 rings. Cardboard and red fabric lampshade with gold coloured rings. Bakelite E27 socket.
Total Height: 45 cm / 17.71”
Height: 29 cm / 11.41”
Lampshade: ∅ 21 cm / 8.26”
Base: ∅ 11 cm / 4.33”
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 (attributed).
Other versions: This 1970s red ceramic table lamp was made in several sizes and colours and was probably sold with several different lampshades. A smaller orange version 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 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.
VLM Components
All the electric parts were made by VLM Components in the 70s. VLM Components was founded in 1945 in Buccinasco, a small village near Milan, Italy. VLM Componentsis 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.
Links (external links open in a new window)
Massive – Wikipedia (in Dutch)
The complete history of the Philips company