The Marbro Lamp Company was one of the finest lamp producers during the mid-1900s. Its pieces were mainly sold in a handful of exclusive furniture shops. Marbro was the go-to supplier of Hollywood Regency and mid-century modern style lighting for interior designers. Its table lamps, chandeliers, floor lamps and wall sconces have graced the homes of many celebrities.
Brothers Morris and Elliott Markoff founded the Marbro Lamp Company in 1934. Its name is a combination of “Markoff” and “brothers.” The brothers relocated from Chicago to southern California after the end of World War II and set up an assembly plant in the garment district of Los Angeles.
Vases and objets d’art, sourced from all over the world, were used as lamp bases. The brass bases came from India, alabaster from Italy, porcelain from Japan and China and crystal from Germany and France. Murano glass and whimsical bronze figurines were two of the more popular base materials.
Marbro lamps were one-of-a-kind and took between 75 and 90 days to complete. Occasionally, they were made from sculptures that customers brought into the factory. Highly skilled woodturners and shade-makers crafted lampshades and wooden bases in Marbro’s shop. Some metal and glass pieces went through paint or staining treatments. The company’s best-known products were these table lamps, but it also produced a wide variety of decorative objects.
The Masco Corporation acquired the Marbro Lamp Company in 1987. Its Los Angeles assembly plant shuttered its doors in 1990. Its equipment and remaining inventory were moved to LaBarge Mirrors — a Masco subsidiary — in Michigan. Shortly after, the production of Marbro lamps ended.
On 1stDibs, find vintage Marbro Lamp Company lighting, decorative objects and more.
Pair of American Art Deco Brushed Nickel-Plated Lamps
Located in San Francisco, CA
A stylish pair of American Art Deco brushed nickel-plated lamps with dolphin support; each with spheroid body flanked by shell-form handles raised on a lively dolphin support over a ...
Good Pair of Hollywood Regency Mid-Century Columnar Lamps by Paul Hanson
Located in San Francisco, CA
A good and stylish pair of Hollywood Regency Mid-Century columnar tan cased-glass lamps by Paul Hanson.
A Pair of French 1960's White Frosted Glass Lamps with Gilt Highlights
Located in San Francisco, CA
Each with flaring neck above a tapering body resting on a gilt-metal base; all in a soft translucent frosted glass highlighted with gilt perimeter bands; measures: height 19" (top of...
Glass
Pair Murano Butterscotch-glass Hand-blown Columnar-form Lamps
By Warren Kessler
Located in San Francisco, CA
attributed to Warren Kessler Lamps, New York est. 1939; each hand-blown columnar lamp of baluster-form with reeded shaft above a bulbous mid-section over a cylindrical pedestal and s...
Art Glass
Large Marbro Lamp Co. 1960s Cut Crystal Baluster-Form Lamp with Gilt-Metal Moun
By The Marbro Lamp Company
Located in San Francisco, CA
The Marbro Lamp Company was established by Morris Markoff and his brother (Mar-bro) after World War II in the garment district of Los Angeles. While specializing in a wide selection of antiques and decorative accessories, they are best known for their high quality lamps. Lamp parts were sourced from all-over the world, but always assembled in their LA shop; this fine example of a thickly modeled faceted crystal lamp...
Crystal
Elegant Pair of German White Porcelain Lamps with Gilt Decoration
Located in San Francisco, CA
Each bulbous urn with gilt perimeter bands with raised decoration on a luminous white ground.
Pair of Brass Lamps by Chapman Lamps
By Chapman Manufacturing Company
Located in Palm Desert, CA
These solid Brass lamps by Chapman Lamps feature an elongated body with a ribbed detail. Lamps retain their original finials as well. New custom silk shades. Both lamps have the orig...
Brass
Pair of Hollywood Regency Style Brass Ginger Jar Lamps on Wood Bases
Located in Locust Valley, NY
A vintage pair of Hollywood Regency style table lamps featuring a classic ginger jar inspired shape rendered in warm, high-shine brass and anchored by rich, dark wood plinth bases. T...
Brass
Pair of Marbro Giltwood and Gesso Neoclassical Table Lamps
By The Marbro Lamp Company
Located in Chicago, IL
Pair of substantial table lamps by Marbro. Wonderfully distressed from natural use, the gilt and painted wood gourd-form bodies have a patina that only age can bring. Sold sans shades.
Brass
Vintage Hollywood Regency Patinated Brass Jardiniere Urn Table Lamps - a Pair
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Vintage Hollywood Regency Patinated Brass Jardiniere Urn Table Lamps with Shades, Made in India - a Pair. Circa Late 20th Century. Measurements: 29" H (to finial) x 22" H (to light s...
Brass
Pair of Gold Maria Pergay Brass Plated Table Lamps
By Maria Pergay
Located in Hastings, GB
A very rare pair of 1970’s brass plated stainless steel Table lamps, designed by Maria Pergay. Born in 1930 in Moldova, Romania to Russian-Jewish parents, Pergay and her mother fled to France at the beginning of World War II. After the war, Pergay studied costumery, set design, and sculpture at the Institut des Hautes Études Cinématographiques in Paris, before opening her own shop to sell decorative silver objects. It wasn’t until the late 1960s that she began using stainless steel. Pergay lives and works in Paris, France. Today, her works are held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. These lamps are sometimes mistaken for designs by the Italian company Il Punto...
Stainless Steel
Pair of Hollywood Regency Brass Tulip Base Table Lamps by Charles Parker Co
By Charles Parker
Located in Bedford Hills, NY
These sleek lamps feature a "tulip" style base that flares out at the bottom, providing stability while maintaining an elegant, slender profile. The lamps are constructed from polished brass, often with a lacquered finish to maintain their shine. Manufactured by The Charles Parker Co...
Brass
