Hans-Agne Jakobsson Oplight 75 Pendant Lamp

Materials: Hand blown clear brown and opal crystal glass lampshade (incamiciato). Galvanized metal suspension mechanism. Black plastic canopy. E27 socket.

Cord Length: 80 cm / 31.49”

Height: 31 cm / 12.20”

Width: ∅ 30 cm / 11.81”

Electricity: 1 bulb E27, 1 x 100 watt maximum, 110/220 volt.
Any type of light bulb can be used, not a specific one preferred. For this type of lamps frosted or white bulbs are recommended. 

Period: 1970s – Mid-Century Modern.

Designer: Hans-Agne Jakobsson.

Manufacturer: Hans-Agne Jakobsson AB, Markaryd, Sweden, sold by Staff & Schwarz Leuchtenwerke GMBH, Lemgo, Germany.

Other versions: The Hans-Agne Jakobsson Oplight 75 pendant lamp was made in several colours. The Oplight lamp series consists of several models. Also table lamps exists. 

These lamps were sold by several companies around the globe. This one was sold by the German Staff. It has a Staff label and the electric parts, mechanism and canopy are also made by Staff.

Sometimes you find these lamps with the label: “Made in Sweden”. It is a generic label, also found on the glass of the Swedish company Elme Glasbruk, well known for their vases, not for lighting. Maybe the company produced the glass for this pendant lamp. Another Swedish company, Orrefors, not only produced glass, but also lighting. But they use different labels. The “Made in Sweden” label is also glued on the Philips Torino pendant lamp. You can find it over here.

Incamiciato: overlay lattimo glass (= milky looking glass) with a layer of transparent coloured glass.

Hans-Agne Jakobsson

Hans-Agne Jakobsson was a Swedish interior and furniture designer, born in Hvadhem on Gotland, Sweden in 1919. Jakobsson became a cabinetmaker at the age of 18 and later he graduated as an architect in Göteborg. He began as an assistant to Carl Malmsten and Werner West.

After his graduation Hans–Agne Jakobsson started as an industrial designer at General Motors.

In 1951 he founded his own lighting company Hans-Agne Jakobsson AB in Markaryd. He also designed lamps for his 2 other companies: AB Ellysett, also in Markaryd. Lamps completely made of pine wood; it was his first step in the lighting business and his biggest success. SCAN-LIGHT was the third company. SCAN-LIGHT was for the lamps that were mostly made of plastic. It was also located in the same town.

Hans-Agne Jakobsson also had companies abroad: In The Netherlands it was Svera – Hans-Agne Jakobsson Nederland N.V. It was located at The Hague. Other seats from the company were located in Paris, France, Darmstadt, Germany. Barcelona, Spain, Stäfa, Switzerland, Oslo, Norway and of course Stockholm, Sweden. There was also a showroom in Toronto, Canada.

Also Koninklijke Philips N.V. and Raak from The Netherlands had several lamps by Jakobsson in their catalogue. Presumably also a few other companies.

Hans-Agne Jakobsson died in 2009 at the age of 90. His closest family are his wife Lisa and their children, Karin and Ola.

Markaryd is an urban area in Sweden with some 4000 inhabitants (2016).

Staff 

Staff Leuchten – Staff & Schwarz Leuchtenwerk (lighting plant) – was established by Alfred Staff and Otto Schwarz in Lemgo, (West) Germany in 1945.

Their business started as a shop for consumer goods in wood and metal as well as pesticide for controlling the Colorado potato beetle, a huge problem at that time.

Within a year they the company expanded with 15 employees and they produced the first wrought iron luminaires. Over the next three decades, Staff was to develop into a world leader in design excellence, receiving over 200 awards for their achievements.

Staff also collaborated with the Italian company Stilnovo. They published a joint catalogue in the 1970s. The Dutch Raak and the Danish Lyfa sold several lamps in the 60s and 70s. Several other companies did.

In 1994 Zumtobel bought the company.