Lot 173:
Mid-Century Modern Motorized Color Wheel Spotlight
Sold for: $20
Description
This is a motorized rotating color wheel lamp, a type of decorative spotlight characteristic of the mid-20th century. This specific design was frequently utilized to illuminate aluminum Christmas trees or for small-scale theatrical lighting effects. The unit consists of a circular aluminum frame approximately 12 inches in diameter, divided into four segments. Each segment houses a translucent plastic color filter in red, yellow, green, and blue. The wheel is mounted to a central motorized hub designed to rotate the filters over a light source. The lighting component features a black-finished metal socket housing with an integrated adjustable tilting bracket, all supported by a simple black-finished wire-frame base. The lamp is fitted with a standard two-prong power cord and an R-type reflector floodlight bulb. While the design is highly consistent with models marketed under names such as Colortone or Roto-Wheel during the 1950s and 1960s, there are no visible manufacturer marks or labels on the item.
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