Ranja Table lamp [Totem series]

Note: this piece has already found its home. I'm sharing its story here all the same, since a Totem doesn't stop being part of the collection just because it's sold.

Ranja is built entirely on the wheel, one ceramic form thrown after another and stacked into the next, in soft, muted tones of grey and olive that shift subtly from piece to piece as they rise. Near the top, a single length of wood, turned on the lathe in a warm cream tone, carries the eye up into the shade, the only place in the whole piece where wood interrupts the clay. The lamp stands on a black metal base, solid and unadorned.

The shade is one of my favourites in this series, a pale cream fabric printed with two small figures riding oversized red fish, fishing rods in hand, drifting across the surface. It is only once the lamp is lit that the full scene comes through.

If the name Ranja looks familiar, it may be, it echoes Ranjha, the other half of the same Punjabi love story that gave the Heer lamp its name. I wanted the two to sit as a quiet pair within the collection, though if that connection wasn't the intention, let me know and I'll adjust the description.

This was a one-of-a-kind piece from the Totem series. I designed, threw, and finished it entirely myself. No two pieces in this series are the same, which is also why, once a piece like this sells, it will not be made again.

If you have a question about this piece or would like to talk about a custom commission, reach out through our contact form or write to us directly at info@tahirmahmood.com.

Tahir Mahmood, Designer & Founder