A symbol of Italian design worldwide, a masterpiece of lighting design, present in houses and workplaces all around the world: we’re talking about the Tolomeo lamp, signed by Michele de Lucchi and Giancarlo Fassina for Artemide , historical brand of lighting.

In 1987 Artemide launched the Tolomeo, a lamp by the simple design that became immediately a best-seller. Two years after Tolomeo and his designers have won the Compasso d'Oro of Industrial Design Association, an award that recognizes the high quality and excellence of a design item.

Tolomeo lamps in an office

The Tolomeo is a "modern reinterpretation of the balanced arm-lamps of the past", which takes inspiration from the Naska Loris, a famous Norwegian lamp  inspired by the Anglepoise of George Carwadine (1932).

The Tolomeo, however, has an its own elegance and charm, due to the sophisticated aluminum processing and the spring mechanism hidden in the structure, which allows high agility of movement. The outside thin steel cable strains all the structure, balancing forces and allowing high directionality of light.

Tolomeo lamp

Lucchi wrote about the Tolomeo:

"...The real problem of the table lamp is to study the clutch. I have made some experiments with the rubber band and with the gears from which are grown out the lamps for Bieffelamp and Belux. But I wanted to make sure other possible solutions. By studying the possibilities for the table lamps, it turns out that, actually, there are three possibilities: one is the traditional clutch, a large hub with large friction surface; another is to avoid the clutch putting a counterweight and in this way the best example is Tizio by Sapper; the third option is the spring, of which there is a wonderful example in Naska Loris. Going always round and round these three possibilities, in the end, the spring seemed to me the smarter, and then I started working on that... "

The Tolomeo lamp is also the first in Europe to become a "form trademark" of light: the shape of this lamp is a registered trademark for the exclusive use of Artemide, emphasizing the strong identity ot this design lamp. The Led Tolomeo table has received the Green Good Design Award in 2010, which rewards the sustainable design.

Today Tolomeo has different versions, as it has different shapes of lighting design: floor lamp, suspension lamp, spotlights, through the tilting version or the one equipped with pliers, or micro-mini-midi-mega and even to XXL version for outdoor (In scale 4:1 relative to the table model).

Mega Tolomeo lamp

The Tolomeo is still a piece of timeless design: the purity of the lines and the simple and essential shapes make it suitable for any kind of interior.

 

To learn more: "Geometrie del design: forme e materiali per il progetto", di Nicoletta Sala, Massimo Sala. Franco Angeli, 2005