Vintage Pendant light "P376" by Fabricius and Kastholm for Nordisk Solar Compagni. Denmark 1960s

The "P376" pendant was designed by Jørgen Kastholm and Preben Fabricius and produced for Nordisk Solar Compagni. It is comprised of five ring-shaped aluminum shades, and arranged on metal spacers. The five ring-shaped shades decreases in size and is slightly curved towards the middle to ensure a glare-free light. The cylinder at the top, conceals the bulb mount and acts a the base of the metal spacers. When the pendant is lit, the combination of the narrow spaces between the curved shades, the purple inner coating and the open bottom and top, creates a soft and warm illumination. A true beauty alight as well as idle. Originally designed in 1964 and produced in white lacquer, brass lacquer or aluminum lacquer with purple inner coating. A small bend by one screw (see photo) and some minor scratches and stains consistent with time. Fabricius & Kastholm was two Danish designers, who shared a passion for optimizing shape, material and ergonomics in the 1960s, and many of their furniture designs is today considered iconic mid century pieces. Preben Juhl Fabricius (1931-1984) was trained cabinetmaker at cabinetmaker Niels Vodder and Jørgen Kastholm (1931-2007) was trained blacksmith. Both went on to study architecture at the School of Interior Design in the mid-1950s under Finn Juhl, Fabricius graduated in 1957 and Kastholm graduated the following year. It was not until they both had gained some experience abroad that they met again in 1960, as both was employed at architect Ole Hagen. Fabricius and Kastholm shared a common approach of perfection, aesthetics and minimization in relation to furniture design without ever compromising quality, and as Kastholm put it, when asked on the collaboration: “We had the same basic approach, we both wanted to minimize. I had been to the United States and seen furniture by Eames and Mies van der Rohe and it inspired us. The simplest lasts longest. At school we had learnt that timelessness was an ideal.”