Art Deco Table Lamps by Paul Maitland-Smith for Maitland Smith, 1980s, Set of 2

S fine Pair of Postmodern Art Deco Revival Table Lamps

This pair of sculptural table lamps represents the high-end Postmodern Art Deco Revival style from the 1970s–1980s.

Departing from the more common, ornate Baroque trends of the era, these lamps showcase a clean, geometric silhouette heavily inspired by early 20th-century French Art Deco torchères.

Material Composition and Technical Specifications.

Illuminated Shades:

Composed of hand-cut, 3-to-4 mm thick tessellated segments of translucent cream Alabaster. The natural clouds and veins absorb and diffuse light to emit a warm, organic glow.

Structural Accents:

Stylized, sharp chevron teeth crafted from tessellated green marble, sharply contrasting with the cream Alabaster.

Internal Construction:

Built using a molded, heat-resistant fiberglass core. The stone segments are cemented onto this framework using a structural marble-resin filler paste, which remains visible on the unfinished interior.

Metalwork:

Solid, warm-toned brass central collars and integrated vertical inlay strips.

The Base: A tapered plinth featuring a distinctive border of vertical coconut shell (palm wood) segments, seamlessly embedded and high-polished in a clear protective casting resin.

Oeuvre Context and Material Affiliations:

While this exact model remains unlisted in standard manufacturer archives, its material footprint shares a direct technological fingerprint with the premier design ateliers of the late 20th century of Paul Maitland-Smith.

Maitland-Smith Core Techniques:

The reliance on a fiberglass matrix to support 3-4 mm stone tesserae, combined with the signature incorporation of localized Philippine organic materials—specifically polished coconut shell in resin—aligns precisely with the artisan manufacturing processes pioneered by Maitland-Smith during this period.

The Architectural Departure: Unlike the widely documented, heavily stylized animal or botanical motifs common to the mainstream Maitland-Smith catalog, the form language of these lamps is strictly architectural. The design mirrors the rarer, geometric torchère uplighters found within the brand's late-century archives.

Summary of Status:

These lamps stand as an exceptional, undocumented example of premium postmodern lighting craftsmanship. They merge the rigorous symmetry of Art Deco revivalism with the complex, labor-intensive material mixing characteristic of top-tier 1980s design of Paul Maitland-Smith.