German industrial designer Wilhelm Wagenfeld was trained in silversmithing, design, engraving and modelling.
At the Bauhaus workshop in Weimar, Wagenfeld collaborated with Karl J. Jucker on the famous Bauhaus Table Lamp (1924), which has a hemispherical frosted glass shade formerly only used in industrial lighting, cylindrical glass stem and a circular glass base. The Bauhaus Table Lamp is one of the most recognizable Bauhaus designs with its modern industrial design that possessed both functionality and inconspicuous beauty. The inner workings of the Bauhaus Table Lamp are clearly displayed in its glass shaft. It has been in production since the first handcrafted models went into production in 1983. The Bauhaus Table Lamp has been reworked numerous times over the years. Its construction and design were geared towards industrial mass production; Wagenfeld held the belief that everyday household items should be “cheap enough for the worker and good enough for the rich”.
