Ilmari Tapiovaara - Asko

Maija Mehiläinen Table Lamp by Ilmari Tapiovaara , Finland 1955

Documentation

Documented elsewhere (similar item)

Origin

Finland

Period

1950-1979

Materials

Painted steel, brass

Dimensions

H.	19.69 in;	Diam.	7.48 in;
H.	50 cm;	Diam.	19 cm;

Condition

Good. The white lacquered shades have a (beautiful) yellow hue, some marks and scratches on the shades. Item has a small repair on the inside that has been done in the past.

Creation Date

1955

Description

Designed in 1955 the Maija Mehiläinen (Maya the bee) table lamp is a deliciously simple and elegant piece. Tapiovaara's inspiration for his only household lamp came from Maya the Bee, a friendly character from a 1912 German children’s book, that also was the basis to the widely acclaimed comic strips and translated as Maija in Finland.
⠀
In his clear and simple design style, Tapiovaara created a column of small metal superimposed discs from which the light glows as if coming from a shimmering honeycomb.⠀Manufactured by Asko/Hienoteräs, Finland.

Interior impressed with ‘HIENOTERAS’.

Styles / Movements

Mid Century, Modern, Scandinavian Modern

Catalog References

Pekka Korvenmaa, Ilmari Tapiovaara, Salamanca, 1997, front cover and p. 415, figs. 407-408, and p. 195, fig. 471

Incollect Reference Number

266580