The Marbro Lamp Company Lighting
The Marbro Lamp Company was one of the finest lamp producers during the mid-1900s. Its pieces were mainly sold in a handful of exclusive furniture shops. Marbro was the go-to supplier of Hollywood Regency and mid-century modern style lighting for interior designers. Its table lamps, chandeliers, floor lamps and wall sconces have graced the homes of many celebrities.
Brothers Morris and Elliott Markoff founded the Marbro Lamp Company in 1934. Its name is a combination of “Markoff” and “brothers.” The brothers relocated from Chicago to southern California after the end of World War II and set up an assembly plant in the garment district of Los Angeles.
Vases and objets d’art, sourced from all over the world, were used as lamp bases. The brass bases came from India, alabaster from Italy, porcelain from Japan and China and crystal from Germany and France. Murano glass and whimsical bronze figurines were two of the more popular base materials.
Marbro lamps were one-of-a-kind and took between 75 and 90 days to complete. Occasionally, they were made from sculptures that customers brought into the factory. Highly skilled woodturners and shade-makers crafted lampshades and wooden bases in Marbro’s shop. Some metal and glass pieces went through paint or staining treatments. The company’s best-known products were these table lamps, but it also produced a wide variety of decorative objects.
The Masco Corporation acquired the Marbro Lamp Company in 1987. Its Los Angeles assembly plant shuttered its doors in 1990. Its equipment and remaining inventory were moved to LaBarge Mirrors — a Masco subsidiary — in Michigan. Shortly after, the production of Marbro lamps ended.
On 1stDibs, find vintage Marbro Lamp Company lighting, decorative objects and more.
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Creator: The Marbro Lamp Company
Italian Renaissance Style Pair of Tall Marbro Gilt Table Lamps, circa 1950
By The Marbro Lamp Company
Located in Encinitas, CA
Monumental pair of Italian Renaissance Style gilt table lamps by world-renowned Marbro Lamp Company of Los Angeles USA, circa 1950.
Black lacquered and gold gilted. Each lamp measure...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Renaissance The Marbro Lamp Company Lighting
Materials
Wood
$2,560 Sale Price
20% Off
Midcentury Murano White Glass Lamp
By The Marbro Lamp Company
Located in Atlanta, GA
Mid-Century Modern Murano handblown white glass lamp on marble base with brass accents by Marbro. Lampshade not included in price.
Category
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage The Marbro Lamp Company Lighting
Materials
Marble, Brass
Marbro Hand-Painted Parcel-Gilt White Porcelain Table Lamp
By The Marbro Lamp Company
Located in Chicago, IL
Hand-painted 50" tall gold leaf cherry blossoms on white ceramic chinoiserie table lamp by Marbro. Cast brass Ming style base, brushed brass stem and Dual socket illumination with br...
Category
1950s American Vintage The Marbro Lamp Company Lighting
Materials
Brass, Gold Leaf
$2,000 Sale Price
20% Off
Pair of Oversized Hollywood Regency Carved and Gilded Table Lamps by Marbro
By The Marbro Lamp Company
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Pair of painted and gilded hardwood table lamps by renowned lighting manufacturer, Marbro, of Los Angeles, CA (circa early 1960s). Large, urn-shape examples with leaf decorative motif throughout. Intricately carved and painted with Dual pull chain light...
Category
1960s American Hollywood Regency Vintage The Marbro Lamp Company Lighting
Materials
Brass
Pair of Italian Yellow Marble and Brass Table Lamps by Marbro Lamp Co.
By The Marbro Lamp Company
Located in Palm Springs, CA
Spectacular pair of Italian yellow marble and satin brass table lamps by Marbro Lamp Co.
Vibrant yellow color. Newly rewired and new vanilla ...
Category
1960s Italian Hollywood Regency Vintage The Marbro Lamp Company Lighting
Materials
Marble, Brass
Monumental Pair Tall Murano Blue Ribbed Glass Lamps by Seguso for Marbro Italy
By The Marbro Lamp Company, Seguso
Located in West Palm Beach, US
This monumental pair of Murano glass lamps was produced in Italy during the 1960s and imported for the American luxury market by Marbro. Each lamp features an impressively tall, scul...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern The Marbro Lamp Company Lighting
Materials
Murano Glass
1950’s American Gold Lotus Flower Lamp by the Marbro Company
By The Marbro Lamp Company
Located in Hastings, GB
An exquisite brass table lamp by the renowned Marbro Company, made in the 1950’s, the piece displays influences of Art Nouveau and Brutalist styles, the detailed lotus flower with buds to the centre, features brutalist embellishment to the central stem.
The lamp has a single large bayonet lamp fitting, a true interiors piece, and highly collectable from one of America’s most after lighting manufacturers.
Without shade Height 87cm x Base Width 23cm.
Shade is not included, purely a modern replacement for photographic purposes
The Marbro Company
The company was founded by Morris Markoff and his brother, hence the name Marbro from Markoff brothers. They started the company shortly after WWII. The company was located in a 3 story brick building in the garment district of Los Angeles, just south of downtown right by the Santa Monica Freeway. During the time they ran the company, they sold almost as many antiques as they did lamps.
Marbro sold their products mainly through interior designers and a few upscale furniture stores. You would not find a Marbro product in a chain furniture store or a discount store. Most of the products were built to order. A typical order from a designer or retailer took between 75 and 90 days to complete.
Most of the components that made up the lamp bodies (ceramic, brass, glass, etc) were purchased from small companies around the world. In the later years almost all of the brass came from India. For the most part, none of the bodies were made on site. Marbro was well-known for importing a variety of unique lighting components from all over the world. Italy was the source for alabaster, Japan and China for Porcelain, Brass in India and Crystal from Germany...
Category
1950s American Art Nouveau Vintage The Marbro Lamp Company Lighting
Materials
Brass
Vintage Dore Bronze Urn Lamp Bird Designs Lapis Set Stones Marbro Lamp Company
By The Marbro Lamp Company
Located in Toledo, OH
Bironze dore urn lamp by Marbro Lamp Company. Bird designs with set lapis stones accenting the eyes and tail feathers. Silk shade has some minor spots. Ball pull chains with roller s...
Category
20th Century North American Modern The Marbro Lamp Company Lighting
Materials
Bronze
Monumental Marbro Lamp Co. "Fleur de Lis" Brass Table Lamp
Glass Shade, 1960s
By The Marbro Lamp Company
Located in Bainbridge, NY
Substantial Six Foot Marbro Lighting Company Brass Table Lamp with White Milk Glass Shade. Statuesque sculptural fleur de lis form with Antique Brass finish. Stands approximately 6 f...
Category
1960s American Hollywood Regency Vintage The Marbro Lamp Company Lighting
Materials
Brass
Vintage Clear Marbro Amphora Murano Table Lamp
By The Marbro Lamp Company
Located in North Miami, FL
Extraordinary example of Marbro lamps in urn design mounted on square chrome base. Two sockets. Shade NOT included.
Category
1970s Italian Classical Roman Vintage The Marbro Lamp Company Lighting
Materials
Chrome
Murano Opaline Caged Art Glass Monumental Table Floor Lamp Regency
By The Marbro Lamp Company, Barovier&Toso
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Midcentury Barovier and Toso Murano opaline caged art glass monumental table or floor lamp. Monumental!
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern The Marbro Lamp Company Lighting
Materials
Brass
Marbro Caged White Murano Glass Lamp
By The Marbro Lamp Company
Located in New York, NY
Modernist Mid-Century white Murano glass lamp with 22-karat gold dust inclusions. Lamp body is "caged" in a brass structure and rests on a Lucite disc base. Wired with clear cord.
Category
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern The Marbro Lamp Company Lighting
Materials
Brass
Marbro Moroccan Gold Glazed Melon Form Lamps
By The Marbro Lamp Company
Located in New York, NY
Mid-Century gored metal lamps with a gold glaze wash overlay. Rewired for use in the USA, with brass sockets and clear cord.
Category
20th Century American Moorish The Marbro Lamp Company Lighting
Materials
Metal
$1,600 / set
Marbro Large Scale White Murano Glass Lamp
By The Marbro Lamp Company
Located in New York, NY
Exceptional large-scale pearl white Murano glass lamp on gilded wood base and double tassel pull sockets.
Category
20th Century Italian Hollywood Regency The Marbro Lamp Company Lighting
Materials
Gold Leaf
Pair of Vintage Ceramic Metallic Silver Glaze Ball Lamps by Marbro, circa 1970
By The Marbro Lamp Company
Located in San Francisco, CA
Pair of vintage ceramic metallic silver glaze ball lamps by Marbro circa 1970
Gorgeous lamps with metallic silver spots. The black shades are included in "as is" condition.
The...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern The Marbro Lamp Company Lighting
Materials
Ceramic
Bruno Merll for Marbro Capodimonte Child Bust Table Lamp
By The Marbro Lamp Company, Bruno Merli
Located in Chicago, IL
Marbro table lamp featuring a Bruno Merli, capodimonte porcelain bust of a female child on wood plinth base. Sold sans shade.
Bruno Merli is known as the premier artist...
Category
1960s Italian Vintage The Marbro Lamp Company Lighting
Materials
Brass
$1,800 Sale Price
20% Off
Marbro Company Alabaster Lamp
By The Marbro Lamp Company
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Solid alabaster lamp, hand carved in Italy, in Chinoiserie style by Marbro Company. Lamps are sold separately and are slightly different heights noted below. Alabaster is 22"H. 2 ...
Category
1940s American Vintage The Marbro Lamp Company Lighting
Materials
Alabaster, Brass
Marbro Table Lamp
By The Marbro Lamp Company
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Signed and numbered Marbro ceramic table lamp with new finial. Shade not included.
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian The Marbro Lamp Company Lighting
Materials
Ceramic
The Marbro Lamp Company lighting for sale on 1stDibs.
The Marbro Lamp Company lighting are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of metal and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of The Marbro Lamp Company lighting, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original lighting by The Marbro Lamp Company were created in the mid-century modern style in north america during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider lighting by Gerald Thurston, Stiffel, and Robert Sonneman. Prices for The Marbro Lamp Company lighting can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $375 and can go as high as $22,500, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $2,250.
Creators Similar to The Marbro Lamp Company
Questions About The Marbro Lamp Company Lighting
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 16, 2024No, the Marbro Lamp Company is not still in business. The Masco Corporation acquired the company in 1987. Its Los Angeles assembly plant shuttered its doors in 1990, and its equipment and remaining inventory were moved to La Barge Mirrors, a Masco subsidiary, in Michigan. Shortly after, the production of Marbro lamps ended. Find a diverse assortment of Marbro Lamp Company lighting on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertMay 14, 2024The history of Marbro lamps dates back to 1934, when brothers Morris and Elliott Markoff founded the Marbro Lamp Company. The brothers relocated from Chicago to southern California after the end of World War II and set up an assembly plant in the garment district of Los Angeles. Vases and objets d'art sourced from all over the world were used as lamp bases. The brass bases came from India, alabaster from Italy, porcelain from Japan and China and crystal from Germany and France. Murano glass and whimsical bronze figurines were two of the more popular base materials. Marbro lamps were one of a kind and took between 75 and 90 days to complete. Occasionally, they were made from sculptures that customers brought into the factory. Highly skilled woodturners and shade-makers crafted lampshades and wooden bases in Marbro's shop. The company's best-known products were these table lamps, but it also produced a wide variety of decorative objects. The Masco Corporation acquired the Marbro Lamp Company in 1987. Its Los Angeles assembly plant shuttered its doors in 1990. Its equipment and remaining inventory were moved to LaBarge Mirrors — a Masco subsidiary — in Michigan. Shortly after, the production of Marbro lamps ended. On 1stDibs, explore a variety of Marbro lamps.
- 1stDibs ExpertJune 15, 2023There is no single best company for table lamps. A well-crafted antique or vintage table lamp does more than provide light; the right fixture-and-table combination can add a focal point or creative element to any interior, and over the years, many manufacturers and designers have offered a range of visually appealing table lamps. Examples include Artemide, Gordon Jane Martz, FLOS, Søholm Stentøj, Louis Poulsen and many others. Shop a large collection of table lamps on 1stDibs.