Louis Poulsen PH 4/3 Pendant
By Poul Henningsen
Poul Henningsen designed the three-shade system back in 1925-1926. The first lights using the system were designed by PH in cooperation with Louis Poulsen for an exhibition in Paris. His work with Louis Poulsen continued right up until his death in 1967. Throughout his life, PH sought to create glare-free light, direct light where it was most needed, and create soft shadows, using incandescent bulbs as a light source. The PH 4/3 Metal Pendant was launched in 1966. Its design follows the general three-shade system based on the logarithmic spiral, with the centre of the light source positioned at the centre of the spiral. This light is a simplification of the light PH designed in 1929. The light won him the highest distinction at the world exhibition in Barcelona at that time. Metal pendants were produced in a number of formats and colours, and the underside of the shade was painted white to provide diffuse light. To achieve warmer lighting, metal pendants were also produced with a gold-coated underside at one stage. Metal pendants have been produced in a number of sizes and colours over the years.