SUPERB Vintage 50s 60s Marbro MURANO ART Ribbed GLASS LAMP HOLLYWOOD REGENCY

This lamp is in great condition. It still has its original wiring and is in good working order. There is a natural bubble that can be seen within the glass part of the lamp as one of the pictures shows. It adds to its own originality since no two Marbro lamps are made alike. The company was founded by Morris Markoff and his brother, hence the name Marbro from Markoff brothers. They started the company shortly after WWII. The company was located in a 3 story brick building in the garment district of Los Angeles, just south of downtown right by the Santa Monica Freeway. They also had a sizeable business in decorative accessories such as tables and a lot of animal figurines.

There were quite a few dog figurines that were life size. Joe Friday in the 1951 TV hit series, Dragnet. There were quite a few celebrities that came in to their shop. One actress who shopped there repeatedly was Deborah Shelton who at the time played the part of Mandy on the TV series Dallas remember J.

You would not find a Marbro product in a chain furniture store or a discount store. Most of the products were built to order. A typical order from a designer or retailer took between 75 and 90 days to complete. In the later years almost all of the brass came from India. For the most part, none of the bodies were made on site.

Marbro was well-known for importing a variety of unique lighting components from all over the world. Italy was the source for alabaster, Japan and China for Porcelain, Brass in India and Crystal from Germany and France. Lamps would also be made from sculptures that customers brought to in to the shop. Once the lamp bodies arrived, a group of Marbro employees would make the wood bases, spin the metal caps, make the shades, and do the painting and tinting. With the help of about 20-40 other true world class artisans, metal workers, finishers and hand made shade makers, they produced lamps and shades that were truly some of last of their kind of art.

For example, Marbro brass was never just plain brass. It was stained with a tinting that was homemade and kept secret by the company which is reminiscent of the Handel Lamp Co. There were quite a few of these preparations all kept in one of those little metal boxes on a 3x5 file card just like a recipe.

It was truly a unique method of making lamps. Many of the lamp bodies that the company bought were not exactly matched as pairs.

All of the shades were made by hand by a group of women on the second floor of the building with very little automation. The manufacturing plant was closed in Los Angeles in December 1990 and the inventory and equipment were moved to LaBarge Mirrors in Holland, Michigan.

At the time LaBarge Mirrors was a Masco Corp subsidiary. Some time later, the Marbro product line was discontinued. Marbo assembled a very talented, experienced and unique group of artists and craftsmen and many of their fine lamps exhibit a certain unique signature style. Most of the employees were in their 50s and older. There were quite a few employees in their late 60s and 70s. Today their lamps are collectible and sought after especially by certain knowledgeable collectors who are familiar with the company's lamps and history. Many of Marbro lamp are commonly referred to as Hollywood Regency style.

This rather lavish style of decorative arts is currently in the midst of a tremendous and accelerating revival. It is obvious from the company's careful selection of art objects and their unique proprietary methods of lamp making that their goal was to design beautiful unique and very high quality lamps. Their success is obvious from the very fine collectible Marbro lamps that are still sought after today. The item "SUPERB Vintage 50s 60s Marbro MURANO ART Ribbed GLASS LAMP HOLLYWOOD REGENCY" is in sale since Monday, May 09, 2016.

This item is in the category "Collectibles\Lamps, Lighting\Lamps\ Electric\Table Lamps". The seller is "liane888" and is located in Waddell, Arizona. This item can be shipped to United States.