Brutalist Glass Fragments Wall Lamps

Materials: Dark yellow moulded embossed glass. Coloured glass fragments & blocks; yellow, green, amber, brown. Aluminium wall mounts. Bakelite E14 sockets.

Long model:

Height: 40 cm / 15.74”

Width: 10 cm / 3.93”

Depth: 10 cm / 3.93”

Rectangular model:

Height: 22 cm / 8.66”

Width: 17 cm / 6.69”

Depth: 10 cm / 3.93”

Square model:

Height: 22 cm / 8.66”

Width: 22 cm / 8.66”

Depth: 10 cm / 3.93”

Electricity: Every wall lamp uses E14 light bulbs, max 40 watt per bulb, 110/220 volt.
Any type of light bulb can be used, not a specific one preferred.

Period: 1960s, 1970s – Mid-Century Modern.

Designer: To be appraised.
In all probability inspired by the Chartres wall lamps Willem van Oyen Sr. (1921-2004) designed for Raak Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Manufacturer: Massive, Mortsel, Kontich and Wommelgem, Belgium.

Other versions: These brutalist glass fragments wall lamps were made in several sizes and colours.

As always, several lighting firms produced lamps in this style. The originals are the Raak Chartres, as you can see.

The style of these type of lamps is often named Brutalist. Not to be confused with the Brutalist architecture, or Brutalism from the same period. That’s something completely different.

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 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.

VLM Components

The sockets are Italian and they are made by VLM Components from Buccinasco near Milan in the 1960s, 1970s. The company became famous for the switches they produce since 1968, designed by Achille Castiglioni.

VLM is part of the Relco Group, founded in 1967. Today they are the owners of the brands Relco, Leuci, Relco Lighting, VLM and Segno.

Inside view of these lamps