A monumental and highly sculptural ceramic table lamp by celebrated British studio potter Bernard Rooke, produced in England during the 1970s. This striking composition exemplifies Rooke's distinctive Brutalist aesthetic, combining hand-thrown and hand-built stoneware elements into a vertical totemic form.
The lamp is constructed from a series of glazed circular medallions separated by an intricate openwork central section composed of clustered tubular forms, creating dramatic depth and shadow. Rich turquoise-green glazes contrast beautifully with the earthy brown stoneware body, while deeply modeled relief decorations and architectural textures reveal the artist's fascination with organic and primitive forms.
Fitted with a custom shade.
Marked: "ROOKE, MADE IN ENGLAND"
Bernard Rooke (born 1938) is one of the most important figures of postwar British studio pottery. After studying at Goldsmiths College in London, he established his own workshop in the early 1960s and developed a highly distinctive sculptural language inspired by architecture, nature, and ancient civilizations. Rejecting the restrained functionalism associated with traditional British pottery, Rooke embraced expressive forms, deep textures, and richly glazed surfaces. His monumental ceramic lamps and sculptural vessels from the 1960s and 1970s are particularly sought after today and have become icons of British Brutalist design.
Monumental Brutalist Ceramic Table Lamp by Bernard Rooke, England, 1970s
Dimensions
Height: 41.34 in (105 cm)
Diameter: 9.85 in (25 cm)
Dimensions of the shade: ø45 H69cm
Dimensions of the lamp with the shade: ø45 H170cmReference
2406

