Kaare Klint Dark Ash 301 Table Light

An ash & brass table light, designed by Kaare Klint for Le Klint, Denmark, circa 1950. The Model 301 is an exceptionally elegant example of Danish Modernism, and a design that speaks to why Denmark's particular response to Modernity, often described as more humane, proved so successful. In contrast to the harder, more industrial character of early-20th-century Modernism, this lamp is warm, flowing and, crucially, contains something of the familiar. This was fundamental to Kaare Klint's approach. Rather than rejecting the past, Klint drew upon historically successful furniture types and principles of classical design, refining and adapting them for modern life. Although fresh, unfussy and distinctly modern, the Model 301 remains rooted in this tradition. Turned from beautifully grained ash wood, the lamp features a broad circular base with a delicate lip, from which rises a slender, gently tapered stem. The continuous silhouette is punctuated by two incised collars, reminiscent of the nodes on bamboo, before transitioning to the stepped brass lighting components. The subtle detailing on an otherwise restrained form is characteristic of Klint's approach: decoration is incorporated into the construction and silhouette rather than applied to it. As a result, the simplicity of the design allows the natural materials to become a focal point of the object. The attribution and early date of the Model 301 are supported by two period publications from 1948: Mogens Koch's Moderne Dansk Kunsthaandværk and Decorative Art: The Studio Year Book 1943–1948, edited by Rathbone Holme and Kathleen M. Frost. Sympathetically restored and rewired using a generous 3 metres of three-core cloth-covered cable in antique brown. The lamp may be purchased with or without the newly made shade in a textured linen-cotton fabric.