Rare Uchiwa Hana Chandelier by Ingo Maurer – Japanese Paper and Bamboo

Rare large Uchiwa Hana chandelier by in very good condition.

This chandelier was professionally restored, restoration report available.

Designed by Ingo Maurer for M design, Germany.

The Uchiwa Hana chandelier is a masterful example of Ingo Maurer’s (1932-2019) explorations into light, craft and cultural reference. Drawing inspiration from the traditional Japanese “uchiwa” fan, Maurer translated that subtle form into an ethereal lighting fixture. Made from bamboo, fabric and Japanese Washi paper.

The Uchiwa series demanded a high degree of hand-worked detail. Maurer engaged specialist craftsmen in Japan to make the fans; the lighting bodies were then assembled in Munich.

The height suspension system (consisting of three cords) allows height adjustment and fine balancing.

Materials:
Bamboo cane structural elements
Japanese rice paper (“washi”) fans: translucent, textured, allowing gentle light diffusion
Under-diffuser in fabric: softens the internal light source and glows warmly
Fine rope suspension wires: for height adjustment and balanced hanging

When illuminated, the Uchiwa Hana chandelier becomes more than a light source—it becomes a sculptural presence. The rice-paper fans glow with subtle warmth, casting delicate shadows of bamboo rods and wires. Its floating profile invites your eye to rise and linger. Whether over a dining table, in a grand foyer or above a seating zone, it provides a quiet ceremony to an interior.

Ingo Maurer (1932–2019) ‘The Poet of Light’

Ingo Maurer was a German designer and artist whose imaginative approach transformed lighting into art. Born on Reichenau Island, Germany, he studied graphic design in Munich and later worked in New York and San Francisco before founding his own studio, Design M, in Munich in 1966. His first lamp, Bulb, became an icon and entered the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Maurer’s work often balanced technology with poetry, playfulness, and emotion — from the delicate Uchiwa series made with Japanese paper and bamboo, to the ethereal Lucellino with its winged bulb, and the expressive Zettel’z chandelier of handwritten notes. Maurer saw light as a living material — something to surprise and move people rather than simply illuminate. Celebrated worldwide, he received numerous awards including the Compasso d’Oro and Germany’s Design Prize. His Munich-based studio continues his legacy, crafting lighting objects that blend art, humor, and human warmth.