Early Poul Henningsen 4/4 Copper Ceiling Lamp, 1926
About the Item
- Creator:Louis Poulsen (Maker),Poul Henningsen (Designer)
- Design:PH 4 1/2 - 4 PendantPH Shade Lamps
- Dimensions:Height: 14.97 in (38 cm)Diameter: 15.75 in (40 cm)
- Power Source:Hardwired
- Voltage:220-240v
- Style:Scandinavian Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1926
- Condition:Rewired. Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Copenhagen, DK
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1008238392282
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.
Louis Poulsen
Louis Poulsen is world-renowned as an innovator in modern Danish lighting, but this wasn’t the goal from the start. Founded in 1874 by Ludvig R. Poulsen as a wine importer, the business went through several incarnations before its first pendant lights came to fruition. Through its designs, the company helped establish the foundations of good lighting — function, comfort and ambience — that are now standard in modern furniture design.
In 1924, Danish architect Poul Henningsen partnered with Louis Poulsen & Co., then an electrical supply company, to create what’s now known as the Paris lamp. This design, which incorporated three layers of curved metal disks, created ambience with its indirect light instead of glare. Shown at the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris — the exhibition that brought Art Deco design to worldwide attention — the Paris lamp was awarded a gold medal. This led to Poulsen and Henningsen working together on several lighting pieces, including the popular PH pendant light with its concentric shades for the Forum Building in Copenhagen. These high-profile projects helped make Louis Poulsen a go-to purveyor of innovative lighting design.
One of the company’s most well-known lamps is Henningsen’s PH Artichoke lamp (1958), with its 72 copper leaves artfully placed to conceal the light bulb, prevent glare and promote a warm, alluring glow in any room. Another is the steel and die-cast zinc AJ lamp (1960), which Arne Jacobsen designed with an adjustable angled shade for his commission for the SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen. The company has also worked with notables such as Verner Panton and Alfred Homann as well as, more recently, Louise Campbell and Oki Sato.
In 2010, the company was awarded the American Institute of Architects’ Honors in Collaborative Achievement Award; it was the first lighting manufacturer to receive this honor. In 2018, the company was acquired by an investment subsidiary of Investindustrial VI L.P. Still headquartered in Denmark, the brand continues to produce its high-end lighting for both indoor and outdoor use, manufacturing both classic icons as well as new designs. “We design to shape light,” states Louis Poulsen. In doing so, they have also shaped culture.
Find a range of new and vintage Louis Poulsen floor lamps, table lamps and other lighting and furniture on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Copenhagen, Denmark
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 2 days of delivery.
- Frits Henningsen, High Wingback chair, 1935By Frits HenningsenLocated in Copenhagen, DKRare Frits Henningsen high wingback chair upholstered with black natural leather, fitted with buttons. Detailed curving legs of mahogany. Designed 1935, made by cabinetmaker Frit...Category
Vintage 1930s Danish Scandinavian Modern Wingback Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Mahogany
- Poul Kjaerholm Professor's Desk, 1955By Poul KjærholmLocated in Copenhagen, DKPoul Kjaerholm 'Professor's desk with grey lacquered metal frame and top of Oregon pine. Designed by Poul Kjaerholm for the Royal Danish Academy of Fine art in Copenhagen, 1955. ...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsSteel
- Poul Kjaerholm PK71 for E. Kold ChristensenBy Poul KjærholmLocated in Copenhagen, DKA set of Poul Kjaerholm 'PK 71' nesting tables with steel frame and top of black acrylic. Designed by Kjaerholm in 1957, manufactured by E. Kold Christensen. Marked 'Denmark'...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Nesting Tables and Stacking Tables
- Pair of Poul Kjærholm PK12 for E. Kold Christensen, 1964By E. Kold Christensen, Poul KjærholmLocated in Copenhagen, DKA pair of Poul Kjaerholm PK-12 chairs for E. Kold Christensen. Chromed steel frame and seat upholstered with brown Nigerian leather. Designed ...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsStainless Steel
- Early Nanna Ditzel 'Basket chair' for Ludvig Pontoppidan, Denmark, 1950By Ludvig Pontoppidan, Nanna DitzelLocated in Copenhagen, DKFirst edition Nanna Ditzel 'Basket' easy chair with frame of teak, upholstered with wicker. Designed by Nanna Ditzel for Ludvig Pontoppidan, Denmark, 1950's with makers mark. Very...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsCane, Teak
- Early Kaare Klint Armchair, 1930, in Cuban Mahogany and Nigerian LeatherBy Kaare Klint, Rud RasmussenLocated in Copenhagen, DKEarly Kaare Klint 'Red chair' with frame of Cuban mahogany and original patinated Nigerian leather. Designed 1930 and executed at Rud. Rasmussen, De...Category
Vintage 1930s Danish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsLeather, Mahogany
- Early Edition Copper Poul Henningsen Artichoke Lamp, Louis PoulsenBy Poul Henningsen, Louis PoulsenLocated in Utrecht, NLEarly production series iconic Artichoke lamp by Poul Henningsen from a stunningly aged copper. This pendant is from a early production period showing due to the colour of the under...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsCopper, Steel
- Poul Henningsen 3/2 Table Lamp of Patinated Brass, Pat. Appl. 1926-1928, DenmarkBy Louis Poulsen, Poul HenningsenLocated in Esbjerg, DKPoul Henningsen PH 2/2 pendant lamp. Shade of white and red laquered copper. Middle and bottom shade of frosted glass. Marked Patented, made by Louis poulsen in the 1930s.Category
Vintage 1930s Danish Scandinavian Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsBrass, Copper
- Early Poul Henningsen Copper Table Lamp, 1930sBy Poul Henningsen, Louis PoulsenLocated in Copenhagen, DKPoul Henningsen & Louis Poulsen, Mid-century Modern design This is the iconic Poul Henningsen (PH 4/3) table lamp with original copper shades. Stand, switch and socket house of bro...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsCopper
- Ceiling Lamp Model PH5 By Poul Henningsen From 1950sBy Poul Henningsen, Louis PoulsenLocated in Lejre, DKThis ceiling lamp, model PH5, was designed by Poul Henningsen in 1950. Known for its innovative design and superior light distribution, the PH5 lamp has beco...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsAluminum
- Poul Henningsen "PH 3/2" Ceiling Lamp Pendant by Louis Poulsen Denmark, 1930sBy Poul Henningsen, Louis PoulsenLocated in Stockholm, SERare Danish mid century ceiling lamp pendant model "PH-3/2" in bakelite and glass shades by Poul Henningsen produced by Louis Poulsen ...Category
Vintage 1930s Danish Scandinavian Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsGlass, Bakelite
- Poul Henningsen "Plate" PH-Lamp Patinated Copper, Louis Poulsen, Denmark, 1958By Poul Henningsen, Louis PoulsenLocated 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