German Gooseneck Desk Lamp

German gooseneck desk lamp black cast iron black oval base bottom electrical wiring 1960s Design, Pfäffle Leuchten, ERPEES

German gooseneck desk lamp black cast iron black oval base bottom electrical wiring 1960s Design, Pfäffle Leuchten, ERPEES front view

German gooseneck desk lamp black cast iron black oval base bottom electrical wiring 1960s Design, Pfäffle Leuchten, ERPEES back view

German gooseneck desk lamp black cast iron black oval base bottom electrical wiring 1960s Design, Pfäffle Leuchten, ERPEES bottom

German Gooseneck Desk Lamp – 1964 Wholesale Catalogue Picture

All Pfäffle Leuchten lamps on this page of the catalogue. This one is the one on the left in the top row.

Many Thanks to Ger for the pictures.
Many thanks to Max from AfterMidnight for the catalogue picture.

Materials: Black oval cast iron base. Chromed conical brass rod/tube. Chrome gooseneck. Light yellow, vanilla-cream painted aluminium oval shell shaped lampshade, painted white inside. Brass E27 socket.

Height: 40 cm / 15.74”

Lampshade: 24 x 23 cm / 9.44 x 9.05”

Base: 18 x 13 cm / 7.08 x 5.11”

Electricity: 1 bulb E27, 1 x 75 watt maximum, 110/220 volt.
Any type of light bulb can be used, not a specific one preferred.

Period: 1950s, 1960s – Mid-Century Modern.

Designer: To be appraised.

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

Other versions: This German gooseneck desk lamp comes in several colours. It is also produced with a rod instead of a gooseneck. Made in brass or chrome. Also sold with a white switch. This desk lamp was also made with a different lampshade.

For a long time, the lamp was assumed to have been produced by Cosack Leuchten, a manufacturer from Neheim, but it does not appear in any known Cosack catalogues.

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.

BJB

The socket of this desk lamp was made by BJB. BJB is Brökelmann, Jäger and Busse, BJB GmbH & Co. KG. The BJB company was founded in 1867 and started with petroleum lighting. The company still exists. Today they produce LED lamps, terminal blocks and connectors, lamp holders for conventional lighting and switches. They are active in the whole world. BJB GmbH & Co. KG is located on Werler Strasse 1, 59755, Arnsberg, Germany.

VLM Components

The switch was made by VLM Components. VLM Components was founded in 1945 in Buccinasco, a small village near Milan, Italy. VLM Components is part of the Relco Group, founded in 1967. Today they are the owners of the brands Relco, Leuci, Relco Lighting, VLM Components and Segno. VLM Components became famous for the switches they produce which were designed by Achille Castiglioni in 1968.