Design & History

Czechoslovak lighting underwent an extraordinary period of experimentation during the late 1950s and 1960s. Following the international success of Czechoslovak design at Expo 58 in Brussels, designers increasingly embraced organic forms, bold graphic decoration and unconventional combinations of traditional materials with new, lighter structures.

This pendant light belongs convincingly to that environment, although its designer and manufacturer remain unknown.

Its construction is particularly striking. Two individually suspended glass shades hang from a long wooden crossbar, itself supported by slender angled metal rods connected to a rectangular veneered wooden ceiling canopy. The arrangement is almost architectural in its simplicity, with the horizontal and vertical lines providing a restrained framework for the much more expressive glass below.

Each opaline shade has an unusual organic profile, narrowing around its centre before expanding again towards the base. Irregular black glass spots of different sizes are distributed across the white surface, making every angle slightly different.

The contrast is what makes the design so successful: warm wood against cool metal, an orderly geometric structure against irregular glass forms, and restrained construction against playful decoration.

With its playful glasswork and unusually architectural construction, the light is a wonderful example of the experimental spirit that transformed Czechoslovak design during the 1960s. Its combination of traditional glassmaking, graphic decoration and modern materials gives it a character that feels unmistakably of the period, yet remarkably individual.

Details

Period: 1960s
Origin: Czechoslovakia
Designer: Unknown
Manufacturer: Unknown
Materials: Opaline and coloured glass, wood, metal
Quantity: One double pendant light

Condition & Restoration

The light has been carefully checked, cleaned and prepared for use in our Brno workshop.

Both original glass shades are in very good vintage condition. The wooden and metal elements retain their original character, with light traces of age and previous use consistent with a piece from the 1960s.

The electrical components have been checked and the light is ready for use. Please refer to the photographs for a detailed record of its condition.

Dimensions

Overall width: 45 cm
Overall height: 57 cm
Shade height: 20 cm
Shade diameter: 17 cm

Why We Like It

There is something wonderfully contradictory about this light.

Its structure is remarkably disciplined - a rectangular ceiling canopy, two diagonal supports, one long horizontal bar and two straight vertical drops. And then, at the bottom of this almost diagrammatic construction, hang two wonderfully strange glass forms covered in apparently random black spots.

We particularly like that contrast between order and playfulness. The glass feels organic, almost biological, while the wood and metal surrounding it are precise and architectural.

It is also a light that doesn't really need a famous designer's name attached to it. Nearly sixty years after it was made, the combination of materials, proportions and those extraordinary spotted shades still gives it a character entirely of its own.

Delivery & Returns

The chair will be carefully packed and shipped from our studio in Brno, Czech Republic.

EU shipping: €20, confirmed at checkout

We also ship worldwide using trusted international couriers. Please contact us for a tailored shipping quote outside the EU.

EU customers have a 14-day right of withdrawal. Please see our Terms & Conditions for full details.

If you would like to check anything before ordering - from condition and dimensions to delivery - Martin and Amy are always happy to help before and after your purchase.