Moroccan lanterns: light through pierced metal

How they are made

The metal is cut and hammered into shape, then pierced: following a drawn pattern, the craftsman punches or saws out hundreds of small openings with chisels and fine blades. Engraving and panels of coloured glass are often added.

The patterns draw on the same geometric and floral vocabulary found in Moroccan zellige tilework, carved plaster and woodwork.

Made for the dark

A lantern is designed for the moment it is lit. Its openings turn one small flame or bulb into a room scattered with stars and lines of light, which is why lanterns hang in riad courtyards, above tables and in doorways.

In the medina

Metalworkers still work in the medinas of Marrakech and Fes, often in lanes given over to one craft, where the sound of hammers carries down the street. Lanterns are sold in every size, from small table lamps to large hanging pieces. Hand-pierced work shows slightly irregular openings and solid, clean assembly.

From lantern to anglerfish

The After Dark design turns a pierced brass lantern into an anglerfish, the deep-sea creature that carries its own light. Decorative metalwork and the lantern’s glow become a creature of the dark. Dracula’s, which gave the design its name, is a surf spot on the Cap Ghir coast north of Taghazout.