Tizio lamp by Richard Sapper for the Italian publisher Artemide.

The structure consists of a cylindrical base made of propylene ether and polystyrene, containing the transformer. A switch is also located on the base, enabling two different light intensities to be obtained. The light from the transformer is then transmitted through its two aluminum arms. Each arm ends in a cast zinc alloy counterweight to balance the pendulum system. The spacing of the arms is allowed and maintained by chromed steel spacer bars ending in two red molded thermoplastic insulators. The head, made from die-cast aluminum, is also adjustable and has an anodised aluminum internal reflector. He created this lamp in 1972, revolutionary for its time as the first lamp to use a halogen bulb, but also for its system of counterweights that perfectly balance the structure, allowing the user to position the light precisely on the desired area with a simple gesture of the hand. It was selected for the Compasso d’Oro industrial design award in 1979. An item of it is part of the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and of the Museum of Modern Art. There are no wires between the base and the lamp: the two parallel arms, connected with snap fasteners, conduct safe 12-volt electricity. The name Tizio was given by Ernesto Gismondi, the founder of Artemide, and alludes to “Tizio, Caio e Sempronio,” the Italian equivalent of “Tom, Dick and Harry.” One explanation for the name is that Gismondi hoped to appeal to everyone; another is that Gismondi hoped to convince Sapper to create Caio and Sempronio designs as well.

Size (All the way up): 4 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 46 in.

#1339 #28