Paavo Tynell, pierced brass shade, for pendant ceiling light model 1943, ab Taito oy, around 1940.
Height 30 cm. Rim measurements: length 22 cm, width 19.5 cm.
A split in the base, an indentation in the upper part of the shade. Wear commensurate with age.
Employee at Taito oy from the 1930s until 1953, thence by descent to the current owner.
Paavo Tynell (1890–1973) began his career as an apprentice sheet-metal worker while simultaneously studying at the Central School of Applied Arts, where his skill was recognized early on. In 1918, he founded the company Taito Ltd in Helsinki together with several prominent artists and industrialists.
Taito Ltd’s operations initially included both a forge and a foundry, but after the foundry was closed, the company focused on handcrafted pewter objects during the 1920s and 1930s, as well as lighting fixtures, which became its main product. In 1953, Taito Ltd merged with Idman Ltd, which eventually led to the dissolution of Taito Ltd.
During the 1950s, the company expanded internationally and exported lighting fixtures to the United States, including commissions for Finland House in New York and the United Nations Headquarters.
Today, Paavo Tynell is regarded as one of Finland’s most significant industrial designers.