Pair of Lucite Lamps Imitating Tortoiseshell, French Work, circa 1970

Lucite of this quality has a luminous depth that no other material quite replicates — when lit from within, the amber and sienna tones of the tortoiseshell patterning seem to come alive, casting pools of warm, dappled light that recall the glow of natural horn or genuine écaille. These two lamps, identical in form and treatment, stand seventy-eight centimetres tall on their bases, commanding and balanced in their proportions, the columnar silhouette typical of the best French mid-century lamp design. The surface, meticulously marbled with the characteristic dark veining and tawny ground of the hawksbill shell, achieves a convincing evocation of one of the most prized luxury materials in the history of European decorative arts.

The use of Plexiglas and Lucite to simulate precious natural materials — tortoiseshell, horn, amber and shagreen — reached its apogee in France during the 1960s and 1970s, when a generation of designers and luxury decorators embraced synthetic materials with the same virtuosity their predecessors had applied to bronze or ormolu. The appeal was twofold: as the international trade in genuine tortoiseshell became increasingly restricted (the hawksbill turtle was listed under CITES protections from 1975), lucite offered a flawless and ethically unimpeachable alternative; and its optical properties — the depth and translucency of light through tinted resin — gave it a glow the original could not match. Parisian décorateurs of the period prized tortoiseshell-effect lucite objects for the warmth and sophistication they imparted to the finest interiors.

Offered as a matched pair, these lamps provide the rare opportunity to furnish a room symmetrically with objects of equal distinction. Set upon consoles flanking a chimney piece, placed on matching bedside tables in a generous chambre de maître, or positioned at either end of a library desk, they create an ensemble of composed luxury that confirms the enduring relevance of the finest mid-century French decorative taste. A pair in this condition, with the Plexiglas retaining its full clarity and warmth of tone, is increasingly difficult to find.