Pair of sconces by J.T. Kalmar Austria

Pair of sconces by kalmar austria lamps vintage. Ice glass. Lead crystal. Excellent vintage condition no chips or cracks. Minor discoloring on the backside metal. Made in austria. Both signed and numbered. Height 25 cm. Width 14 cm. In the 1930s, kalmar began collaborating with the austrian werkbund—an association founded by architects, artists, craftsmen, and manufacturers who were committed to modernist design principles. Kalmar created for the werkbund a series of glass chandeliers and fixtures, which exuded meticulous construction and craftsmanship. Using traditional materials like glass, bronze, and brass, these designs lacked ornament, favoring instead a purist aesthetic. Throughout his career, kalmar designed light fixtures for many renowned architects—including josef frank and oskar wlach, oskar strnad, clemens holzmeister, oswald haerdtl, carl appel, erich boltenstern, and ernst plischke—as well as important institutions, such as the vienna opera, burg theater, and vienna stock exchange. In the last decade of his life, kalmar developed a number of highly popular lighting collections, including tulipan (ca. 1960), ice glass (1960s), and atomic (1969). Kalmar passed away in 1968, but the company continued under the direction of his son-in-law, rudols calice. Today, fourth-generation family member thomas calice runs the company. Kalmar lighting can be found in prominent locales around the world, including the rms queen mary 2, the kremlin’s presidential palace in moscow, and the burj tower in dubai.