Born in Mainz, Germany, in 1924, Bernard Schottlander fled to England as a Jewish refugee in 1939. He worked as a welder for a short stint during the war before delving into sculpture at Leeds College of Art and the Anglo-French art center in St. John’s Wood. A year later, he went on to open his own design studio and began creating new pieces in limited editions. An admirer of Alexander Calder, the American sculptor perhaps best known as originator of the mobile, Schottlander created his Mantis Collection (1951) as an homage. Movement being intrinsic to his work, he devised clever adjustable frames constructed of strong yet flexible steel rods combined with counterweights. He then fabricated shades from aluminum using repoussé and chasing techniques, relying on his trained sculptor’s eye to produce beautifully flowing shapes that set the symmetrical and asymmetrical in opposition. His lamps – much like his idol’s mobiles – appear to defy gravity with their floating forms. Bulb (not included): LED, CFL or incandescent; E12 base; 40W max. This is the authentic Mantis Collection. Made in China. Length 153 cm Arm width 47 cm Arm height 68 cmPainted steel arm and base; painted aluminum shade; nickeled brass ball joint.The Mantis wall lamp by Bernard Schottlander has been recreated from his 1951 series of lights. Movement is intrinsic to all of Schottlander’s work: an artist, an engineer and in no small measure a handyman, he devised a clever system of counterweights combined with a series of strong, and flexible metal bars. The lamp may be rotated by 200 degrees horizontally around the wall fixing. Available in a black satin finish with the inner of the shade finished in white.