Ceiling lamp

A rare Swedish ceiling lamp from the “Liberty” series, produced by AB Elektroholm under the Elhå Belysning name during the 1940s. The design is sometimes associated with Hans Bergström, who is known to have produced designs for Elektroholm, but I have not found sufficiently reliable documentation to establish Bergström as the designer of this particular model. It is therefore more accurate to catalogue the designer as unknown rather than make a firm attribution. Period documentation does, however, substantiate the Liberty series: related ceiling fixtures appear in an AB Elektroholm supplement from 1945 and in the company’s 1946–47 lighting catalogue.

The lamp has a broad circular composition built around a shallow, bowl-shaped parchment diffuser surrounded by an unusually elaborate open metal framework. The central shade is formed as a gently curved dish in a warm beige to honey-brown parchment, finished along its upper edge with a narrow woven trim. The translucent material retains a visibly fibrous, irregular surface, which becomes considerably more pronounced when the lamp is illuminated.

Around the parchment shade is a large brass wire structure organized radially from the centre. Slender rods extend outward like spokes and rise into a continuous scalloped perimeter, creating a flower-like outline when viewed from below. Between these structural elements runs a more freely curving brass vine, punctuated by small applied leaf-shaped elements. The combination of strict radial geometry and asymmetrical botanical ornament gives the lamp its distinctive character. A cluster of narrow downward-curving loops beneath the central fitting introduces an additional decorative element and visually connects the open framework to the centre of the lamp.

The fixture is suspended from a long, straight brass stem terminating in a tapered brass ceiling cup. Brass throughout has developed a muted golden-brown surface with darker oxidation and spotting. Rather than appearing highly polished, the metal now has the varied surface associated with naturally aged brass.

The construction is particularly effective when illuminated. The parchment bowl acts as the principal diffuser, transforming the light into a warm amber field while revealing the long fibres and irregularities within the material. The surrounding wire structure remains largely open, so its radial spokes, scalloped perimeter and individual leaves become strongly silhouetted against the illuminated shade and surrounding ceiling. Viewed directly from below, the composition reads almost as a large stylized flower, with the circular parchment diffuser forming its centre and the wire framework forming an outer ring of petals.

AB Elektroholm was a Swedish lighting manufacturer whose products were marketed under the Elhå Belysning name. Surviving period catalogues and documented fixtures show that the company produced a substantial range of domestic lighting during the 1940s, including both restrained functional designs and more decorative Swedish Modern models. The Liberty series represents the latter tendency, combining relatively economical wire construction with stylized natural motifs and softly diffused illumination. Documented Elektroholm/Elhå fixtures from the period confirm the company’s association with Swedish Modern lighting production.

The design is representative of an important development in Swedish interiors during the 1940s, when the harder geometry of earlier functionalism increasingly gave way to softer forms, warmer materials and references to nature. Here, the essentially rational radial structure is softened by scalloped contours, sinuous stems and small leaves. The parchment further changes the character of the metal construction by introducing texture and a warm, organic colour. The result occupies a transitional position between functional modern lighting and the more decorative, materially expressive Scandinavian designs that developed during and after the Second World War.

The lamp remains in good vintage condition with signs of age and use. The brass framework, stem and ceiling cup show patination, oxidation, dark spotting and minor surface wear. The parchment has developed an overall warm beige and honey tone with visible variations, small marks and age-related discoloration. These characteristics are consistent with the materials and age of the fixture and preserve its vintage surface.

The lamp measures approximately 65 cm in diameter and 67 cm in overall height, corresponding to approximately 25.6 inches in diameter and 26.4 inches in height.