Acrylic Rise & Fall Globe Pendant Lamp

Materials: Two white opal acrylic shells lampshade. Chromed metal ring (iron) and tube. Beech wood handle. Rolly rise & fall mechanism. Black round plastic canopy. Bakelite E27 socket.

Cord: This one has an adjustable rise & fall mechanism (40-140 cm / 15.74-55.11″). It can be easily adjusted in height by pulling the bar underneath.

Height: 42 cm / 16.53”

Width: ∅ 42 cm / 16.53”

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 acrylic rise & fall globe pendant lamp was probably also made in other colours. It’s possible that they were also made with a standard cord attached. However, it is always this model that shows op.

This pendant lamp has no markings or labels whatsoever. Not even remnants of a label. In the 70s it was already mandatory in Europe. But in all probability it was made by Massive: it has all the looks of an Italian Harvey Guzzini lamp, but it is not. 

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.

Massive became the leading brand in Europe in the 1980s. In 2000, 2500 people worked for the company. The brothers left the company in 2002 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.

Rolly

The rise & fall mechanism was produced in Italy by Rolly. Rolly was one of the biggest producers in Europe of this type of rise & fall mechanisms. It has no date on it. Dates on Rolly mechanisms appear until the mid 70s. Later in time no date was pressed in the plastic anymore. The Rolly company no longer exists.

Acrylic: often named by its commercial name: Perspex, Plexiglas, Crylux, Acrylite, Lucite, is a thermoplastic.