Rare Frank Lloyd Wright Lamp Could Sell For $5 Million

The architect's ‘Double-Pedestal’ lamp, which was designed for the Dana House in 1903, is hitting the auction block on 13 May at Sotheby's New York.

Credit: Sotheby's

The so-called ‘double-pedestal’ lamp, commissioned more than a century ago for the Susan Lawrence Dana House in Springfield, Illinois, is one of three such lamps ever created. Jodi Pollack, Sotheby’s chairman, describes the lamp as "one of the great icons of design by arguably the most influential architect of our generation." Adding: "It manages to distill down to the essence all of Wright's ideas about architecture and design. It is like owning a perfect little house by Frank Lloyd Wright."

In the early 1900s, electric lights were still a novelty, and Wright was one of the first to custom-design them. The Sotheby's example is just one of three double-pedestal lamps designed by Wright.

In 2002, the last time the lamp appeared at auction, it went for just under $2 million at Christie's. In 2023, Sotheby's set a Wright world record when a ceiling light from the Francis W. Little House, also in Illinois, sold for $2.9 million. This time around, the Dana House lamp has a low estimate of $3 million - but has the potential to be sold for in excess of $5 million.

For Wright collectors and enthusiasts, this sale is a big deal: not only is the double-pedestal lamp one of a kind, it is also a physical relic of the architect's genius. "Wright remains a darling of the public, and for good reason," says Pollack. "His works are as timeless and modern today as when they were created."

Frank Lloyd Wright: A Lamp for the Ages will be part of Sotheby's Modern Evening Auction, taking place 13 May 2025. You can view the lamp at Sotheby's New York from from 2-13 May.

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