Modernist Glass Pendant Light
Thomas S. Tait, 1930s
Description:
A glass pendant light designed by Scottish Modernist architect, Thomas S. Tait, for his London home, Gates House, in Hampstead.
Born in Scotland in 1882, architect Thomas S. Tait was responsible for some of the first distinctly modern buildings in the United Kingdom. In 1902, Tait joined the prestigious architectural practice of Sir John James Burnet, commended for their work on the British Museum galleries. It was here that Tait worked on buildings and projects such as the Kodak Building in London and Silver End in Essex, the latter an Art Deco model village commissioned by the Crittall Window Factory.
Tait moved into his Hampstead home, Gates House, in the late 1920s. The property was originally built in 1919 but was altered and extended by Tait from 1930. Whilst few images of Gates House are available, the property was featured in the 1928 publication 'Gas fires and their settings' by Sir Lawrence Weaver, written for the British Commercial Gas Association.
The grainy image reveals an interior abounding with rectilinear lines, from the stepped marbled fireplace to the octagonal mirror, the interior epitomises the streamlined spirit of Art Deco and an architectural grandeur reminiscent of Tait's earliest projects.
This glass pendant was designed by Tait for his Hampstead home, and consists of a cubic structure of peach-coloured stained glass, mimicking alabaster, surrounded by bands of clear glass, and suspended at each corner by brass chain.
The structure of the light heavily recalls an earlier pendant light from 1925 by French designer and architect, Robert Mallet-Stephens, which he designed for the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris. However, this would not be the only occasion in which Tait was influenced by the French architect.
Later, in 1938, Tait was appointed Chief Architect of the Empire Exhibition in Glasgow. The main architectural attraction of this event was the 'Tower of Empire', or colloquially 'Tait Tower'. Architectural historian, Gavin Stamp, has observed how Tait's imposing, white, asymmetrical structure of staggered vertical lines and tiered balconies owed much of its silhouette to the 'Tourism Pavillion' also created by Mallet-Stephens for the 1925 International Exhibition.*
As such, this pendant lamp encapsulates this important international dialogue between Thomas Tait and Robert Mallet-Stephens.
Specifications:
Height: 16cm
Width: 30cm
Length: 30cm
Drop: Flex and chain can be adjusted.
Materials: Stained and clear glass with brass chain.
Designer: Thomas S. Tait
Design Period: 1929-1935
References
*Stamp, G. (2024). Interwar: British Architecture 1919-39, p.cvi