Continental Studios Lamp Signed CarsuKe

This large, beautiful table lamp from the sixties was designed by the artist Glen Richardson, who signed his work CarsuKe. It's made of hand painted, molded plaster, aka chalkware, and was produced by Continental Studios of Chicago, IL. The colorful, stylized flowers and leaves are set against a crosshatch design reminiscent of the thatched roofs on island huts. The vibe is Polynesian or perhaps Hawaiian; after all, Hawaii became a U.S. state in 1959 and was a source of interior design inspiration for years afterward.

Richardson/CarsuKe designed lamps, figurines, ashtrays, etc. for Continental and other manufacturers into the 1980's. Often, Continental's mark will include "Chicago, Ill." and sometimes a year date. There was another company named Continental Studios of Georgia, Inc. (1973-1995) but they were located in Athens, GA and their mark was "Continental Studios, Atlanta, GA." The Chicago firm is still in business making plaster items for the wholesale trade.

The shade shown is not included but we used it in the photos so you can see the finished look. When you purchase your shade, you will need a harp to fit the shade and also a finial, as none of these came with the lamp as found. The lamp base is 19 inches tall; the brass stem and bulb socket add another 5 inches. Across the widest part it's about 9 inches, with a circumference of 27 inches. The base is 6 inches in diameter; the lamp sits evenly and because it weighs a whopping 12 pounds, 10 ounces, it's fairly untippable.

This chalkware lamp is in phenomenal condition, with no chips, cracks or color loss. The bracket that holds the harp is movable but once the harp is in place, it stabilizes. It has an on/off rotary knob on the light bulb socket. We tested it with a 75 watt bulb for one hour and it works fine. There are no breaks in the cord or plug and no damage to the bulb socket. It's marked near the bottom by the cord "© CarsuKe" and "MFG. BY CONTINENTAL STUDIOS." This classic sixties lamp looks great in so many different settings, it's a decorative delight.

FYI: The vintage lamps we sell are all in working order when we ship them to you, but we do recommend that you have them checked out for long term use by a licensed electrician, since we are not electrical experts.

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