Museum of Fine Arts, Boston: The Museum Year 2011

The Year

Art of the Americas: July 2009–June 2011


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Counter-balance table lamp

designed about 1934
Designed by William Lescaze
Overall (without shade): 63.5 x 15.9 x 7.6 cm (25 x 6 1/4 x 3 in.)
Chrome-plated metal, paper/parchment shade (replaced)

Classification: Tools & equipment

Object Place: New York, Probably New York

Accession number: 2010.947

Location: John Axelrod Gallery (American Modern: The 1920s and 30s)

Description: A chrome-plated metal rod forms the shaft of the lamp. The rod sits on a short, cylindrical base. The lighting element, a single bulb, attaches to the top of the shaft, and the cone-shaped shade attaches directly to the bulb. The lamp is held in place by a spherical weight. This counterbalance is suspended directly underneath the base by a tube of chromed metal, which extends over the edge of the table in an arch from the base, connecting to the spherical weight underneath the table.

Provenance/Ownership History: By 1987, Fifty/50, New York; 1987, sold by Fifty/50 to John Axelrod; 2010, gift of Axelrod to the MFA. (Accession Date: December 15, 2010)

The John Axelrod Collection