As the world supply of handmade mugs and platters comes close to saturation point, a number of ceramic artists have begun making table lamps. Their work celebrates the maker’s hand and the endless possibilities of glazing.
Much of it also calls to mind the last great ceramic table lighting moment, in the 1960s, when Scandinavian studios sent their designs all over the world—you can find examples for sale from just about every midcentury specialist. Here, 10 contemporary counterparts that shed new light on the form.
“The deep, inky color is the result of the unique properties of this indigenous clay combined with a firing process in which the smoke and heat—and deprivation of oxygen—creates an intense carbonization effect,” writes Laura Aviva. “Prior to being fired in an underground wood-burning pit, the pieces are burnished with a curved quartz stone, marking the clay with a subtle sheen.”
