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.
$111,387
H 16.54 in W 7.88 in D 21.26 in
PH Piano Table Lamp in Brass and Glass by Poul Henningsen, 1930s
By Poul Henningsen
Located in Limhamn, Skåne län
The PH Piano table lamp, designed by Poul Henningsen and produced by Louis Poulsen in Denmark during the 1930s, is a rare example of early Scandinavian modern lighting design. The la...
Brass
$29,782
H 15.75 in W 7.88 in D 8.47 in
Table Lamp in Browned Brass Frame by Poul Henningsen, 1931-1933
By Poul Henningsen
Located in Limhamn, Skåne län
Table Lamp in Browned Brass Frame by Poul Henningsen, 1931-1933 Additional Information: Material: Browned brass frame. Amber coloured glass shades, froste...
Glass
$45,865
H 20.08 in Dm 15.75 in
Poul Henningsen PH-4/3 Table Lamp in Brass and Glass by Louis Poulsen, 1927-1928
By Poul Henningsen
Located in Limhamn, Skåne län
This rare and early table lamp, model PH-4/3, was designed by Poul Henningsen and produced by Louis Poulsen in Denmark during the formative years of his groundbreaking collaboration ...
Brass
$19,656
H 13 in W 7.88 in D 8.67 in
Poul Henningsen Table Lamp Model Ph-2/2 'Vintergækken' by Louis Poulsen
By Poul Henningsen
Located in Limhamn, Skåne län
Rare and early table lamp model PH-2/2 ‘Vintergækken’ designed by Poul Henningsen. Produced by Louis Poulsen in Denmark.
Brass
$23,230
H 15.36 in W 7.88 in D 8.67 in
Poul Henningsen Early Table Lamp Model PH-2/2 'Vintergækken' by Louis Poulsen
By Poul Henningsen
Located in Limhamn, Skåne län
Rare and early table lamp model PH-2/2 ‘Vintergækken’ designed by Poul Henningsen. Produced by Louis Poulsen in Denmark. Stamped D.R.P (Deutsche Reichs Patent).
Brass
$1,131
H 12.21 in W 6.3 in D 7.88 in
Scandinavian modernist table lamp model FÅ 501, brass and steel, Sweden, 1950s
By Falkenbergs Belysning
Located in Forserum, SE
A sculptural 1950s table lamp, also mountable on the wall, crafted from solid brass with a painted metal shade that can be positioned in different directions. It features a distincti...
Brass, Steel
$7,505
H 16.54 in Dm 13.39 in
Vintage Table Lamp Brass "PH-Lamp" by PH / Poul Henningsen, Louis Poulsen, 1940s
By Poul Henningsen, Louis Poulsen
Located in Odense, DK
Stunning original production PH-table lamp model "3,5/2" by Poul Henningsen manufactured at Louis Poulsen, Copenhagen in the 1940s. The lamp base is made from patinated brass and white bakelite parts. The shades are all original and unrestored. The upper shade is made from yellow lacquered metal with a wonderful patina while the middle and lower are made from frosted matte glass which gives a wonderful light distribution. A beautiful and rare example of the world famous lamp icon. Poul Henningsen designed the three-shade system back in 1925-1926. The first lights using the system were designed by PH in cooperation with Louis Poulsen for an exhibition in Paris. PH sought to create glare-free light, direct light where it was most needed, and create soft shadows, using incandescent bulbs as a light source. PH 3/2 Table is a member of the three-shade family. Thus PH did not just design a light, but an entire system – around a thousand different models have been produced over the years. PH was the first person to pursue a scientific approach to light and use the logarithmic spiral as a basis. By using a design based on the logarithmic spiral he achieved even distribution of light over the entire curve of the shade. This even light distribution, together with the diffuse reflection through the glass, made it possible to control glare and shadow. Each shade reduces the amount of light equally, due to their distance from the light source. The PH light model numbers refer to the shade size. Each top shade had a corresponding set of middle and lower shades. In the ‘pure’ models, such as the 2/2, the top shade has a size of about 20 cm, with corresponding lower shades. PH 3/2 Table consists of an app. 30 cm top shade, but uses lower shades from the 2/2 model. These ‘hybrid’ models were introduced due to the desire to hang the pendants at lower heights. The system was also used for wall, table and floor lamps. This specific example has a "3,5" top shade (33,7 cm.) and a "2" middle and lower shade making it a "3,5/2 PH lamp".
Brass
$10,430
H 24.02 in W 13.51 in D 13.78 in
Svend Aage Holm Sørensen Table Lamp with adjustable brass stem, 1950s.
By Svend Aage Holm Sørensen
Located in New York, NY
Svend Aage Holm-Sørensen (1913-2004) was a Danish designer who is best known for his wide collection of light fixtures. A licensed ornamental metalworker, Holm-Sørensen started his d...
Iron, Brass
Poul Henningsen, Table Lamp, Brass, Glass, Denmark, 1930s
Located in High Point, NC
A patinated brass and frosted glass table lamp, model 3/2, designed by Poul Henningsen and produced by Louis Poulsen, Denmark, c. 1930s. Some patina on brass. Wear consistent with ...
Brass
$2,859
H 16.93 in W 5.52 in D 11.03 in
ASEA mid century modernist table lamp E1163, brass, Scandinavian, Sweden, 1940s
By ASEA, Hans Bergström
Located in Forserum, SE
A striking example of Swedish modernist lighting design, this table lamp model E1163 was produced by the renowned manufacturer ASEA Belysning in the 1940s. Expertly crafted in solid ...
Brass, Steel
Swedish Desk Table Lamp B-075 in Brass by Eje Ahlgren for Bergboms Sweden, 1960s
By Eje Ahlgren, Bergboms
Located in Stockholm, SE
Rare decorative Swedish mid century table / desk lamp in patinated brass by Eje Ahlgren produced by Bergboms, 1960s. In good vintage condition with the original plastic insert. Dim...
Brass
Eje Ahlgren Desk Table Lamp "B-075" in Brass Produced by Bergboms, Sweden, 1960s
By Eje Ahlgren, Bergboms
Located in Stockholm, SE
Rare Swedish mid century table / desk lamp in brass by Eje Ahlgren produced by Bergboms, 1960s. In good vintage condition. Dimensions: H: 52 cm / 20.45" W: 21 cm / 8.25" D: 29 cm /...
Brass
Danish Mid Century Table Desk Lamp in Brass & Glass by Fog & Mørup Denmark 1950s
By Fog & Mørup
Located in Stockholm, SE
Rare Danish mid century desk / table lamp in patinated brass with a frosted opaline glass shade produced by Fog & Mørup in Denmark 1950s. In good original condition. Dimensions: H:...
Brass
Danish Mid Century Table Desk Lamp in Brass & Glass by Fog & Mørup Denmark 1950s
By Fog & Mørup
Located in Stockholm, SE
Rare Danish mid century desk / table lamp in patinated brass and frosted opaline glass shade produced by Fog & Mørup Denmark 1950s. In good working and original condition. Dimensio...
Brass
Danish Mid Century Table Desk Lamp in Brass & Glass by Fog & Mørup Denmark 1950s
By Fog & Mørup
Located in Stockholm, SE
A rare and decorative Danish mid century desk table lamp in patinated brass with a beautiful frosted yellow white opaline glass shade produced by Fog & Mørup in Denmark, 1950s. In ...
Brass
Swedish Mid Century 781B Desk Table Lamp by Anders Pehrson & Ateljé Lyktan 1960s
By Ateljé Lyktan
Located in Stockholm, SE
A rare and iconic Swedish mid century modern desk table lamp with a black leather foot, chrome base and black lacquered metal shade. This "781B" lamp is adjustable in both height and...
Metal, Chrome
