Cosack Broken Glass Wall Lamp

Materials: Rectangular folded gold painted metal wall mount. Broken glass blocks, fragments on a rectangular yellow and red glass plate. Metal E14 socket. 

Height: 13 cm / 11.02”

Width: 23 cm / 12.20”

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: 1960s, 1970s – Mid-Century Modern.

Designer: To be appraised.

Manufacturer: Gebrüder Cosack – Gecos, Neheim-Hüsten, Germany.

Other versions: This Cosack broken glass wall lamp was made in several colours and sizes.

Probably inspired by a design by Willem van Oyen Sr. for Raak Amsterdam: the Chartres wall lamp. Several light companies in Europe produced their version of the Chartres lamps.

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

Cosack Leuchten

The Gebrüder Cosack (Gecos) company was founded in 1848 as a metal processing plant in Neheim-Hüsten, Germany by Egon, Friedrich and Theodor Cosack together with Gottliebe Tappe. It was named Metallwarenfabrik Tapp + Cosack. In the beginning they made liturgical items, crosses and upholstery nails made of brass and they also produced kerosene lamps. Later the company came to the production of electric lamps.

After the Second World War Cosack pursued a modern direction. A best seller were copper lighting for restaurants. It is said that the company was declared bankrupt in 1984, but the last catalogue I have (1989 -1990) was published in 1989.

Best known designers: Gottfried Stürzenhofecker, K. H. Kinsky, Hans Wilfried Hegger, Hans-Joachim Groth, Burkhard Panteleit, Joachim O. Becker, Prof. Friedrich Becker, Waldemar Rothe and Jan Armgardt. 

Gebrüder Cosack (Gecos) received 15 iF Design Awards.