Mandarin standard lamp
(c. 1957)
Medium
glass (enamel), painted steel, aluminium (enamel), brass, electrical components
Measurements
160.0 × 56.0 cm diameter
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased, NGV Foundation and NGV Supporters of Australian Art, 2021
© Public Domain
Gallery location
Gallery 12
Level 2, NGV Australia
About this work
Studying mechanical drafting at Melbourne Technical College (now RMIT University) in the late 1930s, Joyce Coffey was a pioneer of industrial design in Australia. She was the first woman to be recognised as an industrial designer in a major Australian manufacturing business, Kempthorne Lighting. Working with her husband, James Selwyn Kempthorne Coffey, she designed an extensive range of domestic light fittings. By 1946, Joyce was named chief designer, and the company is now recognised for inspiring the widespread adoption of modern-style lamps in Australian homes.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
Melbourne, Victoria
Accession Number
2021.306
Department
Australian Decorative Arts