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Here is a rare and fascinating piece of history: a 1936 Berlin Olympics Desk Lamp.

It is made of Brass and Cast Iron and its modernist Bauhaus style reminds us of Marcel Breuer’s 1925 Paris Exposition lamps.

The lamp is adjustable both at the shade and the base levels.

Please note the engravings:

1.  On the brass shade: the Olympic Rings, “1936” and “Berlin”

2.  On the cast iron base: the Swatsika (emblem of the Nazi regime) and “Gott Mit Uns!” (“God Be With Us!”)

Both shade and base are engraved with the number 0476.

The original green paint on the cast iron base is intact.  The lamp is in excellent condition, with its original wiring and plug.

Dimensions:  17.25″ high, 5.5″ wide, 8″ deep.

PLEASE NOTE:  By offering this lamp, we do not intend to glorify Nazi ideals; on the contrary, we think that  Nazi-related memorabilia  should be preserved in order to stay vigilant and decipher any similar ideology as a direct threat to humanity. This lamp keeps the lessons and horrors of World War II vivid in our memory.  Furthermore, when looking at the events surrounding the 1936 Berlin Olympics which this lamp illustrates, we can also learn from the participating nations’ fateful decisions at the time; for example, a boycott was argued to be later abandoned.

As Ben Phelan expresses so well in his article  “Understanding the Market in Nazi Memorabilia”  dated 12.09.2013, reposted on 04.27.2015:

“….. Never forget is a phrase often invoked when contemplating the Holocaust; we must never forget that it happened, so that it might never happen again. Part of keeping that memory alive must involve maintaining the physical evidence of it. Strange as it may at first seem, a market in which history-minded collectors place a monetary value on Nazi artifacts, and in which they buy and sell them to other collectors — or donate them to museums — can serve a role in preserving our collective historical memory. If an object has no value, it will eventually be disregarded and thrown away. That memory will die. And then we will have forgotten.”

Read the entire article at :

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/fts/miamibeach_201003A24_2.html

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.