Vintage Table Lamp Brass "PH-Lamp" by PH / Poul Henningsen, Louis Poulsen, 1940s
About the Item
- Creator:Louis Poulsen (Manufacturer),Poul Henningsen (Designer)
- Design:PH 3/2 Table LampPH Shade Lamps
- Dimensions:Height: 16.54 in (42 cm)Diameter: 13.39 in (34 cm)
- Power Source:Plug-in
- Voltage:220-240v
- Lampshade:Included
- Style:Scandinavian Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1940s
- Condition:Rewired: The lamp has been rewired in accordance with the original design with a white fabric wire. Wear consistent with age and use. We have chosen to keep this lamp as original as possible. Only the original wire has been replaced.
- Seller Location:Odense, DK
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3793133779022
PH 3/2 Table Lamp
The PH 3/2 table lamp isn’t just striking; it’s scientific and caring, too. A series of stacked concentric shades, initially made of metal or glass, helps evenly distribute reflected light while concealing the source at its center, creating diffuse illumination that’s much gentler on the eyes than the harsh glare from a bare light bulb, which, in the early days of electric lighting, was an off-putting evolution from the welcoming glow of gas lamps.
Designed by Poul Henningsen (1894–1967) in the late-1920s as part of a series that would include around 100 designs, the PH 3/2 table lamp can be traced all the way back to its creator’s humble boyhood.
Henningsen was a product of his time. The son of famous Danish writer Agnes Henningsen, the designer and architect grew up at the turn of the century in a small Danish town without electricity, and the soft glow of the gas lights of his childhood left an impression. Henningsen would go on to work in a variety of fields, but as a lighting designer, he sought to emulate the effect of gas-lamp lighting with the then-new electric fixtures of the era. After studying at the Danish College of Technology, Henningsen began designing restaurants, residences and factories in Copenhagen. In 1924, he joined Danish lighting firm Louis Poulsen & Co., where he conducted a series of studies analyzing a lampshade’s function.
The modern and wildly nontraditional PH lamp design that resulted from Henningsen’s exploration would characterize his subsequent collection of artful lighting, such as the 3/2 table lamp, which ultimately suits different spaces and functions in its wealth of variations. His Paris light — an early PH configuration he would refine later — earned him a gold medal for modern lighting at the 1925 International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in France (this was the exhibition that brought the Art Deco style to worldwide attention). Louis Poulsen put the PH lamps into production soon afterward, and a long and fruitful collaboration began. In 1958, the partnership yielded another modern-day classic, the dramatic and revolutionary Artichoke lamp.
Today, the PH 3/2 table lamp is still available from Louis Poulsen.
Poul Henningsen
The name Poul Henningsen is synonymous with the best and most innovative modern Scandinavian lamps and other lighting. The Danish designer created a signature vocabulary of fixtures with tiered and layered shades in sculptural arrangements that are at once naturalistic and geometric.
Henningsen grew up in a town on the outskirts of Copenhagen and studied architecture at the Technical University of Denmark. He would become a noted art critic, journalist and screenwriter, but his first love was lighting design.
Henningsen’s childhood home was illuminated by oil lamps. When his family switched to electrified lighting, he was alarmed and repelled by the harsh glare cast by an incandescent bulb, and in his late teens he began conducting quasi-scientific experiments to measure which materials and methods best diffused or reflected light to give it a warm brightness. His work came to the attention of the lighting-fixtures firm Louis Poulsen, which sponsored the development of a prototype lamp. The design won a gold medal at the 1925 Paris Expositions Internationales des Arts Decóratifs et Industriels Modernes — from which the term Art Deco derives. The lamp, whose three-part shade is said to be inspired by the arrangement of a dinner plate atop a soup bowl atop a teacup, became the basis for Henningsen’s most successful design, the PH 4/3 desk lamp.
All told, Henningsen would design some 100 lighting fixtures in his career. Some of his most notable creations are hanging lamps, which include the Septima (1929), a pendant composed of seven graduated frosted-glass layers; the Spiral (1942), made of a single ribbon of enameled aluminum; and the Artichoke lamp (1958), whose 70 glass or metal fins in a staggered and graduated arrangement on a central steel frame resemble those of its namesake. The last is likely Henningsen’s masterwork and an icon of mid-20th-century design. Like all Henningsen lighting designs, it is striking, sculptural and — thanks to his insistence on the primacy of the quality of the light cast — superbly functional.
Find a collection of authentic Poul Henningsen table lamps, floor lamps and other lighting on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Ullerslev, Denmark
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 7 days of delivery.
- Vintage Table Lamp "PH-Lamp" by PH / Poul Henningsen, Louis Poulsen, 1930sBy Louis Poulsen, Poul HenningsenLocated in Odense, DKStunning original production PH-table lamp model "3,5/2" by Poul Henningsen manufactured at Louis Poulsen, Copenhagen in the 1930s. The lamp base is made from patinated brass and brown bakelite parts.. The upper shade is made from yellow lacquered metal with a wonderful patina while the middle and lower are made from two layered opaline glass which gives a wonderful light distribution. A beautiful and rare example of the world famous lamp icon. Poul Henningsen designed the three-shade system back in 1925-1926. The first lights using the system were designed by PH in cooperation with Louis Poulsen for an exhibition in Paris. PH sought to create glare-free light, direct light where it was most needed, and create soft shadows, using incandescent bulbs as a light source. PH 3/2 Table is a member of the three-shade family. Thus PH did not just design a light, but an entire system – around a thousand different models have been produced over the years. PH was the first person to pursue a scientific approach to light and use the logarithmic spiral as a basis. By using a design based on the logarithmic spiral he achieved even distribution of light over the entire curve of the shade. This even light distribution, together with the diffuse reflection through the glass, made it possible to control glare and shadow. Each shade reduces the amount of light equally, due to their distance from the light source. The PH light model numbers refer to the shade size. Each top shade had a corresponding set of middle and lower shades. In the ‘pure’ models, such as the 2/2, the top shade has a size of about 20 cm, with corresponding lower shades. PH 3/2 Table consists of an app. 30 cm top shade, but uses lower shades from the 2/2 model. These ‘hybrid’ models were introduced due to the desire to hang the pendants at lower heights. The system was also used for wall, table and floor lamps. This specific example has a "3,5" top shade (33,7 cm.) and a "2" middle and lower shade making it a "3,5/2 PH lamp".Category
Vintage 1930s Danish Scandinavian Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass
- Original Patented "PH 3/2" Floor Lamp by Poul Henningsen, Louis Poulsen, 1931By Louis Poulsen, Poul HenningsenLocated in Odense, DKRare and important system "PH 3/2" floor lamp by Poul Henningsen from the very early production. The lamp was manufactured in the early 1930s and is seen in the 1931-catalogue. It is...Category
Vintage 1930s Danish Scandinavian Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsBrass
- Louis Poulsen "PH-lamp" 3/3 Pendant by Poul Henningsen, Patented, Denmark, 1930sBy Louis Poulsen, Poul HenningsenLocated in Odense, DKEarly original "PH-lamp" pendant made in the 1930s at Louis Poulsen, Copenhagen. This is the "3/3" sized pendant with original opaline shades and bakelite socket house as invented by...Category
Vintage 1930s Danish Scandinavian Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsGlass, Bakelite
- Poul Henningsen "Plate" PH-Lamp Patinated Copper, Louis Poulsen, Denmark, 1958By Louis Poulsen, Poul HenningsenLocated in Odense, DKVery rare original Poul Henningsen "Plate" or "Langelinie" pendant from 1958 in solid copper. The lamp has never been polished and retains a w...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsCopper
- Early Floor Lamp "PH 4/3" by Poul Henningsen, Pat. Appl., Louis Poulsen, 1926-28By Poul Henningsen, Louis PoulsenLocated in Odense, DKEarly and important floor PH-lamp 4/3 by Poul Henningsen (PH) manufactured at Louis Poulsen, Copenhagen between 1926-28. The lamp base is made from patinated bronze and the top shade...Category
Vintage 1920s Danish Scandinavian Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsBronze
- Desk Lamp by Vilhelm Lauritzen "DSB Konduktør" Made at Louis Poulsen, 1940sBy Vilhelm Lauritzen, Louis PoulsenLocated in Odense, DKFunctionalist desk lamp designed by Danish Architect Vilhelm Lauritzen in the late 1940s. Made for "DSB" (The Danish Railway Company) hence the name "Konduktørlampe/Train Conductors lamp". Its was manufactured by Louis Poulsen. This example is from the earliest production with the old bakelite...Category
Vintage 1940s Danish Scandinavian Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- Louis Poulsen PH 3/2 Table Lamp by Poul HenningsenBy Poul Henningsen, Louis PoulsenLocated in New York, NYAbout This Product Poul Henningsen designed the three-shade system during 1925/1926. The first lights using the system were designed for an exhibition in Paris. His work with Louis P...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- Poul Henningsen PH 4/3 Table Lamp for Louis PoulsenBy Louis Poulsen, Poul HenningsenLocated in Glendale, CAPoul Henningsen PH 4/3 table lamp for Louis Poulsen. Poul Henningsen’s legendary design stems from his own, brilliant three-shade system from late 1920s. Poul Henningsen design fr...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Scandinavian Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsChrome, Aluminum, Metal
- Louis Poulsen PH 3½-2½ Glass Table Lamp by Poul HenningsenBy Poul Henningsen, Louis PoulsenLocated in New York, NYPoul Henningsen was born in Copenhagen by the famous Danish actress Agnes Henningsen. He never graduated as an architect, but studied at The Technical School at Frederiksberg, Denmar...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsGlass
- Louis Poulsen PH 3½-2½ Color Table Lamp by Poul HenningsenBy Louis Poulsen, Poul HenningsenLocated in New York, NYAbout This Product The PH 3½-2½ Glass Table lamp was designed in 1928 and is one of many advanced projects undertaken by Poul Henningsen in the development of his world-famous three-...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsAluminum
- Scandinavian Modern PH 4/3 Table Lamp by Poul Henningsen & Louis PoulsenBy Poul Henningsen, Louis PoulsenLocated in Lejre, DKPH 4/3 table lamp designed by Poul Henningsen and manufactured by Louis Poulsen. The lamp is with white laqcuered metal shades. This product will be inspected thoroughly at our prof...Category
Vintage 1930s Danish Scandinavian Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- Louis Poulsen PH 3½-2½ Glass Table Lamp in Brass by Poul HenningsenBy Poul Henningsen, Louis PoulsenLocated in New York, NYPoul Henningsen was born in Copenhagen by the famous Danish actress Agnes Henningsen. He never graduated as an architect, but studied at The Technical School at Frederiksberg, Denmar...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsGlass