Edouard Wilfrid Buquet and Tecnolumen, lamp EB 27

• Edouard Wilfrid Buquet (1886-?) by Tecnolumen, lamp EB 27 called “Equilibrée”, in silver-plated metal 900/°°°, numbered “1035” under the foot, edition circa 1980/1990. (Designed in 1927).
• The metal shows the nuanced brownish oxidation typical of silver. These can, of course, be removed by polishing.
• H Max 100 CM X P 16 CM X W 86 CM.
• Diameter of the foot 16 CM.
• Equipped with halogen pin bulb.
• Very fine condition.

Édouard-Wilfrid Buquet’s Lampe Équilibrée: a forgotten design icon

Balance is a fundamental principle in architecture, painting, movement, thought and life itself. Since the early 20th century, this quest for balance has been at the heart of many designers’ preoccupations. At a time marked by the turbulence of the Roaring Twenties, architects such as Le Corbusier and Walter Gropius responded with clear lines and rigorous plans. For their part, artists such as Klee, Kandinsky and Mondrian structured chaos, whileAlexander Calder knew how to draw movement in space and domesticate it.

This is the background to the work ofÉdouard-Wilfrid Buquet, a discreet engineer from the Paris suburb of Montrouge. Although he remains a ghost in the history of design, his 1927 articulated lamp is a remarkable invention. Patented as a “directional luminaire with articulated arm”, the EB 27 lamp illustrates the desire to translate balance into a subtle interplay of weights and counterweights. Thanks to this ingenious system, the lamp head can be moved with extreme fluidity, almost effortlessly, purely by sliding, without the need to push.

In addition to the table lamp, Buquet developed wall-mounted (sconces) and floor-standing (floor lamps) versions of this principle, all characterized by the same functional elegance. New York’s MoMA recognized Buquet’s work, presenting a copy of ” La Lampe Équilibrée ” in the exhibition “Acquisitions récentes : Architecture and Design” exhibition in 1979, alongside works by Marcel Breuer. Le Corbusier himself used these lamps in his workshops and at exhibitions.

Despite this recognition, little is known about Buquet. His iconic lamp almost disappeared in the 1930s. The rising cost of materials, coupled with the complexity of its manufacture by hand, made mass production difficult, if not impossible. The need for precision, particularly in the joints and balancing of weights, demanded exceptional craftsmanship.

Today, TECNOLUMEN continues this tradition with a faithful reproduction of the EB 27, produced in accordance with the original patent registered in Paris. Only a few technical adaptations have been made: the wooden base has been replaced by metal to accommodate a transformer, and the reflector has been adapted to a contemporary frame. Everything else remains true to the original design.

The Lampe Équilibrée is much more than a simple desk light: it’s a timeless work of art, both technical and poetic, that continues to embody the quest for balance so dear to so many twentieth-century designers.