Iconic Early “BULB” Table Lamp by Ingo Maurer for Design-M, Germany 1966

This early example of “Bulb”, the lamp that launched Maurer’s career, plays homage to the lightbulb and dates back to the early 1970s. Consisting of a thick blown cased-glass shade mounted on a chromed metal base, the lamp is in good working order, with its original wiring and in-line VLM switch (designed by Castiglioni) and in superb vintage condition. Of note, there are a few chips to the hidden rim of the glass shade (see photo) but no cracks or damage. The chrome is in superb, bright and unpitted condition.

German designer Ingo Maurer (1932–2019) was known as a “poet of light” for how he artfully created lamps that married form and function, from bulbs that soared on goose-feather wings to chandeliers that suspended bursts of shattered tableware like a slow-motion explosion.

This, the “Bulb” lamp, nests a lightbulb inside a larger glass lightbulb shape, drawing on his connection to German art traditions of reductive forms as well as Pop art and the playful aesthetics of 1960s pop culture. The success of Bulb — its fans included American design icon Charles Eames — led to the founding of his own company to produce this provocative fixture as well as other fantastic lighting designs. “Bulb” is included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA NY) and many other major collections throughout the World.