A pair of "Sputnik" wall lights

Probably Italy, circa 1955

A striking and unusual pair of wall lights and floor lamp. The wall lights with burgundy lacquered iron back plates, supporting five out-swept iron arms terminating in maroon coloured formica spheres and brass cups, with two further brass arms ending in spiked spheres.

The advent of the space age, and its immediate influence on design, is typically seen in mass produced itemsof simple materials, whereas these dramatic and entertaining lights are of a distinctly different quality. The cast iron back plates, the substantial brass body and the turned brass cups could all have been reproduced in cheaper materials.

Click here to view the floor lamp.