Pair of Mushroom Lamps by Napako / Josef Hurka, 1950s
About the Item
- Creator:Josef Hurka (Designer),Napako (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 7.88 in (20 cm)Diameter: 6.7 in (17 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1920s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Niederdorfelden, DE
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2340319938622
Napako
Napako was initially established in 1919 in Prague with the purpose of helping private companies with metalworking solutions for building projects. The Czech manufacturer later pivoted to producing appliances and lighting, a change that yielded partnerships with esteemed designers such as electrician and furniture maker Josef Hurka and Miroslav Prokop between the 1930s and 1970s.
Napako’s chrome-plated desk lamps and flush mounts were often characterized by the influence of the Bauhaus, a progressive German design school that promoted a union of art, craft and technology. Many of the brand’s interesting lighting fixtures incorporated milk glass and opaline glass and later featured venturesome forms and lacquered metal housings in lively Pop art colors. Today vintage Napako table lamps, floor lamps and chandeliers are rare and highly collectible works of Space Age and mid-century modernist ingenuity.
Hurka and Helena Frantová were the superstars on Napako’s roster of designers. Initially an electrical appliance designer, Hurka changed course to work on lighting design after Napako discontinued its production of appliances.
For much of the 20th century, industrial and furniture designers in the Eastern Bloc created their work in near anonymity — including in the former Czechoslovakia, where communist ideologies ran counter to capitalist ideas like branding and acclaim.
Although for a brief and shining moment, in 1958, the country’s designers gained global renown when Czechoslovakia won best national pavilion at the Brussels World’s Fair, their artistry was soon shrouded again behind the Iron Curtain.
Hurka’s table lamps for Napako were presented as part of the prize-winning Czech Pavilion at the 1958 World Expo in Brussels, which was the first World’s Fair after World War II. Frantová frequently created torch-shaped table lamps with spindly bodies in chromed steel or brass for the likes of Okolo as well as Napako.
On 1stDibs, find a collection of Napako lighting.
You May Also Like
Mid-20th Century Czech Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Metal, Iron
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Metal
Vintage 1950s Czech Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Metal
Vintage 1950s Czech Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Metal
Vintage 1950s Czech Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Metal
Vintage 1970s Czech Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Metal
Mid-20th Century Czech Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Aluminum, Steel
Mid-20th Century Czech Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Aluminum, Steel
Vintage 1960s Czech Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Aluminum, Chrome
Vintage 1950s Czech Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Metal
More From This Seller
View AllVintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Metal, Iron, Brass
Vintage 1920s French Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Metal, Chrome
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Murano Glass
Vintage 1960s German Minimalist Table Lamps
Chrome
Vintage 1970s German Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Art Glass
Vintage 1970s German Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Crystal
