Brass Shell Desk Lamp
Materials: Rectangular brass/gold painted metal (iron) base. Green felt on the bottom of the base. Curved brass rod. Orange glass shell lampshade, painted white inside. Bakelite E14 socket.
Height: 24 cm / 9.44”
Length: 47 cm / 18.50”
Lampshade: 13 x 18 cm / 5.11 x 7.08”
Base: 11,45 x 17,8 cm / 4.5 x 7”
Electricity: 1 bulb E14, 1 x 40 watt maximum, 110/220 volt.
Any type of light bulb can be used, not a specific one preferred.
Period: 1970s, 1980s.
Designer: To be appraised.
Manufacturer: Tommaso Barbi, Rome, Italy – attributed (no label).
Other versions: This brass shell desk lamp was also made as a floor lamp.
This brass shell desk lamp is based on an antique lamp, as you can see below in the Blake Edwards movie A Shot In The Dark. Many of these lamps were made of brass, also the shell.
Tommaso Barbi
Little is known about the Tommaso Barbi company, founded by Tommaso Barbi in Rome after World War II. The company is best known for its furniture design. The white ceramic tables, mirrors, ice buckets, lamps and so on from the 1970s, 1980s are the most famous.
Many brass leaf lamps you find online are not by his hand but were made by Bottega Gadda and designed by Carlo Giorgi.
The company no longer exists.
Lamps in the movies!
An antique or old metal/chrome shell desk lamp was used as a prop in the 1964 comedy film A Shot in the Dark. Starring Peter Sellers, Elke Sommer, George Sanders and Herbert Lom.
Links (external links open in a new window)
A Shot In The Dark – 1964 film – Wikipedia
A Shot In The Dark – 1964 film – IMDb
Vintageinfo
Bottega Gadda brass leaf table lamp