1960s Brutalist Red Ceramic Pottery Lamp Syco Keramic Sweden

Vintage 1960s, mid century modern, small bottle shaped, embossed, red ceramic table Lamp by Syco Keramik, Sweden. The base of this lamp has different abstract, geometric, brutalist style embossed designs on the front and back and finished with a burgundy red glaze. A cream-colored custom fabric tapered drum shade is trimmed in on the top and bottom edges with burgundy thread. Syco was a Swedish producer of ceramics from 1945-1969 and was best known for its many versions of its "Pot that breathes", a round, squat tea/coffee pot that came in various colors and shapes. (see Notes below on History of Syco Keramik). Original Syco sticker is still present on one side of base and the base is embossed "NYA SYCO" Sweden on the bottom. A wire hole on the lower edge of one side original to the piece as well as the large opening on the bottom to allow for wiring of the lamp. New wiring includes a black phenolic socket and a black chord with rotary switch and 2-prong plug. Shipped with bulb and shade. In excellent condition with original Syco sticker - see photos for details. A charming lamp for bedside, on a vanity or shelf to give a touch of light to a special corner.

 

Notes on Syco:

Syco Keramic was established in 1945 by Arnold Wiig in Torskholmen, a fishing town on the coast north of Goteborg, Sweden. The company initially produced "The pot that breathes", a pot with a rounded squat shape and a small lidded opening at the top that became synonymous with Syco and was produced in many different sizes and models. By 1949, he company was producing other utilitarian and decorative ceramic pieces as well as some sheet metal toys. In 1951, the company expanded to produce molds for wallpaper production, paper mills and plastic products. Most of its products were exported to Europe and Great Britain and the clay was imported from England. Many of the company's designs were made by Swedish designers of the time such as Knud Johansen, Joyous Schiöler, Lillemor Petersson, Gerda Lund, Olle Alberius, Siv Jacobs, Fred Säfström, Bruno Karlsson, Anita Nylund-Hedlund, Sven Östling among others.The company was purchased out of bankruptcy in 1961 by Ake Jaking, who went on to operate until 1969 as Nya Syco. Jaking reorganized the operations and built a new, state-of-the-art factory for the company's production in hopes of streamlining and expanding its production. Unfortunately the project did not progress as planned and created too much expense for the company to sustain. In 1969, the company was liquidated.