Pfäffle Leuchten Desk Lamp

Pfäffle Leuchten desk lamp red-orange round base & rod chrome gooseneck tubular conical lampshade 1970s Germany

Pfäffle Leuchten desk lamp red-orange round base & rod chrome gooseneck tubular conical lampshade 1970s Germany label

Label of this lamp and the VDE paper label on the wire.

Many thanks to Sven for the photos.

Pfäffle Leuchten Desk Lamp

Materials: Red-orange round flat base. Metal counterweight inside. Built-in rectangular black and white switch. White painted metal bottom lid. Red-orange rod. Chrome gooseneck. Round tubular conical aluminium lampshade, white painted inside. Bakelite E27 socket.

Lampshade: ∅ 12,4 x 19,7 cm / 4.88 x 7.75”

Height: 41,9 cm / 16.49” – adjustable

Base: ∅ 14 cm / 5.51”

Electricity: 1 bulb E27, 1 x 60 watt maximum, 110/220 volt.
Any type of light bulb with an E27 screw base can be used. Not a specific one preferred.

Period: 1970s – Mid-Century Modern.

Designer: To be appraised.

Manufacturer: Robert Pfäffle KG., Elektrotechnische Fabrik, Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany.

Other versions: This Pfäffle Leuchten desk lamp was made in several colours. The lampshade was used for several other models. This lamp is model 224. It is NOS (new old stock) and it has the VDEquality mark label still attached to it. The VDE mark is meant to indicate safety and quality in electrical technologies.

Pfäffle Leuchten

In 1909, Robert Pfäffle founded an office for electrical engineering and wholesale electrical consumer goods in Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany. The town is located near the eastern edge of the Black Forest, close to the Austrian border.

After 1949, the company continued as a limited partnership under the name Robert Pfäffle KG – Electrical and Lighting Equipment Factory. The firm mainly produced table and bedside lamps, wall and mirror lights under the ERPEES brand, as well as universal tube lamps, ceiling lights and floor lamps.

Following insolvency proceedings in 1984, the company was officially removed from the commercial register in 1986.

The company’s best-known and most successful product is the Chronolux desk lamp, a 1970s design featuring a digital clock and alarm. Designed by Knox, the Chronolux was produced in many variations and remained in production for a considerable period.

Pfäffle Leuchten was also a regular supplier to the German mail-order company Neckermann. At the time, Neckermann operated exclusively as a mail-order business, offering a wide range of consumer goods, including lighting.

The relationship does not appear to have been exclusive. Neckermann also sold lamps produced by Aro Leuchten and likely by other manufacturers as well. Nevertheless, period catalogues confirm that Pfäffle / ERPEES lamps were part of Neckermann’s lighting range, establishing Pfäffle as one of its documented suppliers.