Fog & Mørup Life Pendant Lamp

Fog & Mørup Life pendant lamp purple droplet glass lampshade design: Jo Hammerborg Holmegaard Denmark E27 socket

Fog & Mørup Life Pendant Lamp – 1963 Catalogue Picture

Fog & Mørup Life Pendant Lamp – 1976 Catalogue Picture

Holmegaard

Holmegaard is one of Denmark’s oldest and most distinguished glassworks. The factory was founded in 1825 at Holmegaard Mose, near Næstved. The initiative originally came from Count Christian Danneskiold-Samsøe, who applied for royal permission to establish a glassworks there. He died in 1823 before permission was granted, and it was his widow, Countess Henriette Danneskiold-Samsøe, who brought the plans to life and founded the company.

At first, Holmegaard mainly produced green glass bottles, but the factory soon expanded into tableware and decorative glass. Over time, Holmegaard developed into one of the leading names in Danish glass design. During the 20th century, designers such as Jacob Eiler Bang, Per Lütken and later Michael Bang played an important role in shaping the company’s artistic identity and international reputation.

Today, Holmegaard is part of the Rosendahl Design Group.

Materials: Hand-blown crystal glass droplet style lampshade. White on the inside, clear purple on the outside (incamiciato). Some metal parts. Bakelite E27 socket.

Cord Length: 80 cm / 31.49”

Height: 32 cm / 12.59”

Width: ∅ 18 cm / 7.08”

Electricity: 1 bulb E27, 1 x 75 watt maximum, 110/220 volt.
Any type of light bulb with an E27 screw base can be used.

Period: 1960s – Mid-Century Modern.

Designer: Jo Hammerborg (1920-1982).

Manufacturer:Fog & Mørup A/S and Holmegaard, Denmark.

Other versions: This Fog & Mørup Life pendant lamp was made in a few colours, but only in one size. A chandelier version with several pendants together also exists.

Fog & Mørup produced another lamp with the same name in the 1970s, as shown in the catalogue pictures. It was also designed by Jo Hammerborg. You can find it here.

Incamiciato: A type of overlay glass in which lattimo, or milky white glass, is covered with a layer of transparent coloured glass. The term is Italian and the technique is closely associated with the glassmakers of Murano.

The glass of this Fog & Mørup Life pendant lamp was made by Holmegaard, another Danish company. Holmegaard produced glass for many lamps made by Fog & Mørup.

Jo Hammerborg

Johannes (Jo) Hammerborg was born on 4 February 1920 in Randers, Denmark. He grew up in a middle-class family, trained as a silversmith in the early 1940s, and during the German occupation took part in the Danish resistance movement as a saboteur. In 1944 he enrolled at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen, and in 1949 he began working as a silversmith at Georg Jensen.

In 1957 Hammerborg became head of design at Fog & Mørup, a position he held until 1980. Under his direction, the company experienced its most successful period, both artistically and commercially. He reshaped the visual identity of Fog & Mørup with a modern, highly disciplined design language and strict attention to detail, not only in the lamps themselves, but also in packaging, labelling and presentation.

Hammerborg designed approximately 180 lamps for Fog & Mørup. The first years of his tenure were especially productive: between 1957 and 1963, 24 of those designs were already put into production. His work is characterised by clarity, balance and a strong sense of proportion, qualities often linked to his background as a silversmith.

Outside his work as a designer, Hammerborg was an enthusiastic sportsman, pilot and parachutist. He died on 23 July 1982, aged 62, in a parachuting accident on Bornholm.

Fog & Mørup

Fog & Mørup was founded in 1904 by Ansgar Fog (1880–1930) and Erik Mørup (1879–1972), originally as a metalwork wholesaler. In 1906 the company moved to Copenhagen and gradually developed into one of Denmark’s leading lighting manufacturers. Its strongest creative period began after Jo Hammerborg joined the company in 1957 as head of design, helping to establish Fog & Mørup as a major name in Danish modern lighting.

Designers and architects associated with the company include Jo Hammerborg, Claus Bonderup, Torsten Thorup, Sidse Werner, Sophus Frandsen, Jørgen Bo, E. Balslev, Peter Avondoglio, Karen Clemmensen, Ebbe Clemmensen and Hans Due.

Lyfa

Lyfa was founded in 1903 as Kjøbenhavns Lampe- og Lysekronefabrik. By the mid-20th century it had become one of the most important Danish lighting manufacturers, working with designers such as Bent Karlby, Louis Weisdorf, Piet Hein, Finn Juhl, Nils and Eva Koppel and others. In the late 1970s, Lyfa merged with Fog & Mørup, although both brands continued for a time to be marketed separately.

In the early 1980s, the combined Lyfa–Fog & Mørup business was taken over by Lyskær, after which the Fog & Mørup name gradually disappeared. Lyskaer–Lyfa remained active until 1991, when it was incorporated into Horn Belysning A/S.

Horn Belysning

Horn Belysning A/S, originally E.S. Horn, was founded in 1952 in Aalestrup, Denmark. In 1963 the company adopted the name Horn Belysning. It grew into a major volume producer for the Scandinavian and European market and counted IKEA among its important customers. By the 1980s, Horn was one of the largest lighting companies in Denmark.

In 1991, Horn Belysning acquired Lyskaer–Lyfa, which by then also included brands such as Lyfa, Fog & Mørup and ABO. In 2005, Horn was restructured: the outdoor lighting activities were sold to Nordlux, while the remaining company was relaunched as Lightyears. Lightyears was later acquired by Fritz Hansen.