Unusual Italian Fish-Form TV-Lamp by Ivo De Santis for Gli Etruschi

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A rare, hand-painted television lamp from Ivo de Santis of GLI ETRUSCHI. A playful encounter between De Santis’ eccentric Italian … Read more A rare, hand-painted television lamp from Ivo de Santis of GLI ETRUSCHI. A playful encounter between De Santis’ eccentric Italian style—itself an amalgam of the traditional and the modern—and an all-American form. Secondary illumination emerges through the gills and eyehole to illuminate the fish’s jolly stripes and freckly face. The original European two-prong plug is retained; a US adaptor is furnished.

IVO DE SANTIS opened his Tuscan pottery studio in Florence in the early 1950s. Very little is known about his biography—or the workshop's story, which he presumably named GLI ETRUSCHI (the Etruscans) in a nod to his heritage. It seems reasonably sure that the bulk of its output was exported, as it is unusual to find GLI ETRUSCHI items in Italy. The work of de Santis became very popular in the U.S. in the 1960s and was widely distributed by the American importers Raymor and Rosenthal-Netter. His artistry quickly became well-known for its bold and quirky creativity.

GLI ETRUSCHI's products were exclusively hand-built and generally fell into three main categories: small figurines, animal and human; slab-built and wheel-thrown vessels (often altered or combined); and whimsical objets d'art sometimes decorated with implanted metal wires and dripping in acid-colored glazes (often in striking combinations) or muted pastels. The pieces were rarely signed and mostly labeled with foil stickers, but only some survived. Happily, de Santis's creations are readily recognizable by their distinctly original style.

De Santis was a friend of Marcello Fantoni (1915-2011), and his pottery compares favorably with his fellow Florentine master and their Italian contemporary, Guido Gambone (1909-1969). Equally inspired by ancient Etruscan forms and mid-20th-century art styles—particularly abstract expressionism, pop, and color field painting—it was de Santis' Genius to combine these influences, producing ceramic artworks that were all his own. GLI ETRUSCHI ceased production by the second half of the 1980s.

TV LAMPS are iconic luminaries of the 1950s and early 1960s. The fad for them only lasted about twelve years, but thousands were produced by ceramics manufacturers all over the U.S. and Canada. North Dakota's Rosemeade Pottery, best known for its salt and pepper shakers depicting native wildlife, made some of today's most collectible ones. A particularly excellent example of their rooster lamp sold for a staggering $3550. They also released T.V. lamps in panther, horse, pheasant, deer, and wolf form—all of which are likely to bring at least $1000 at auction.

The earliest examples of T.V. lamps date from about 1950, when television sets established their presence in North American households. The lamps were designed to cast light on the wall behind them rather than provide general room illumination. The traditional explanation for T.V. lamps is that they were intended to protect the viewer's eyesight. The (admittedly pseudo-scientific) thinking went that the strong contrast between the light emanating from the T.V. and the room's surrounding darkness was terrible for the eyes. "Don't watch T.V. in the dark" was a standard warning. So T.V. lamps came to the rescue, casting their soft glow to diffuse the harsh light from the screen. The reasoning garnered significant currency at the time, but there is little to no product documentation substantiating it.

Oriental motifs and jungle animals made their way into the sculpted form of T.V. lamps. Many animals, including horses, fish, and mallard ducks, were hugely popular. Still, the king of the T.V. lamp jungle was the long, low, stalking panther modeled after the figurines designed in the late 1940s by Haeger Potteries of Dundee, Illinois. While Haeger never produced their panther as a lamp, other potteries blatantly copied the design. They electrified it, turning it into an iconic example of mid-century kitsch.

The most significant volume of T.V. lamps came from California. Large outfits like Lane & Co., Maddux of California, and California Originals cranked out thousands, making the most of the demand while they could. Lane was incredibly prolific, producing T.V. lamp designs in a big way, with campy, quirky forms like flamingos, pink poodles, and sailfish. Based in Van Nuys, the company was one of the largest producers of ceramic goods in the U.S.; however, something has yet to be discovered about its history.

Another large manufacturer, based in the small West Texas town of Bangs, also made T.V. lamps a significant part of their output, and their artful Siamese cats are a must-have for collectors. Sometimes marked on the felt base with "Texans Incorporated, Bangs, Texas," they can more readily be identified by the embossed "Kron" on most examples, denoting their prolific designer, Howard Kron (1914–1991), who was responsible for the majority of their products over the years
The good news is that decades of research have not turned up any evidence that your eyes are harmed by watching T.V. in the dark. You may experience eyestrain or visual fatigue, but the effects are transitory. So, what relevance does the T.V. lamp hold for us today? A period-appropriate specimen can add an essential detail for those who keep a mid-century home. Otherwise, a T.V. lamp can serve as a nightlight or source of soft, ambient light while providing a room with some decorative interest that reflects your personality. See less