Svend Aage Holm Sørensen Steel and Brass Menorah, Danish Mid-Century Modern, 1960s

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Svend Aage Holm Sørensen Steel and Brass Menorah, Danish Mid-Century Modern, 1960s

This Danish Mid-Century Modern menorah in blackened steel … Read more Svend Aage Holm Sørensen Steel and Brass Menorah, Danish Mid-Century Modern, 1960s

This Danish Mid-Century Modern menorah in blackened steel and brass is a design by Svend Aage Holm Sørensen, the Copenhagen metalworker best known for his sculptural brass lighting. He draws the ancient seven-branched form in a single sweep of bent steel rod: a central stem carries three pairs of concentric semicircular arms, and the seven flared brass cups stand in a level row across the top. A tightly wound brass coil collars the foot of the stem, and the whole rests on four splayed steel legs.

The appeal is in the two metals playing against each other, the matte black steel and the warm, glowing brass, and in the way the piece holds a room. Lit for the holidays it makes a graceful arc of seven flames; unlit it works year round as a piece of sculpture on a console, sideboard or mantel. It is the right scale for a dining table centerpiece and sits equally well among Danish teak, Italian mid-century brass or a spare contemporary interior. Note that this is a seven-branch menorah in the traditional Temple form rather than a nine-light Hanukkah lamp.

Dimensions:
Height: 10 1/2 inches (26.7 cm)
Width: 11 1/2 inches (29.2 cm)
Depth: 2 1/2 inches (6.4 cm)

Marks:
Stamped "Denmark" to the underside.

Provenance:
Earle D. Vandekar of Knightsbridge

Condition:
Good.

Historical Context:
Svend Aage Holm Sørensen (1913–2004) trained as a licensed ornamental metalworker and from the 1950s built his Copenhagen firm, Holm Sørensen & Co., into one of the leading names of the Danish lighting industry. He is most collected today for his perforated, acid-etched and torch-cut brass pendants, but the firm also produced small metalwork for the table, including black-lacquered iron and brass candelabra closely related to this menorah.

(Ref: NY10604-cccx) See less