21st Century Ettore Sottsass Collection Ratrih Floor Lamp in Black/Milk-White
About the Item
- Creator:Venini (Manufacturer),Ettore Sottsass (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 66.93 in (170 cm)Diameter: 18.12 in (46 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:21st Century
- Production Type:New & Custom(Current Production)
- Estimated Production Time:6-7 weeks
- Condition:
- Seller Location:murano, IT
- Reference Number:
Ettore Sottsass
An architect, industrial designer, philosopher and provocateur, Ettore Sottsass led a revolution in the aesthetics and technology of modern design in the late 20th century.
Sottsass was the oldest member of the Memphis Group — a design collective, formed in Milan in 1980, whose irreverent, spirited members included Alessandro Mendini, Michele de Lucchi, Michael Graves and Shiro Kuramata. All had grown disillusioned by the staid, black-and-brown “corporatized” modernism that had become endemic in the 1970s. Memphis (the name stemmed from the title of a Bob Dylan song) countered with bold, brash, colorful, yet quirkily minimal designs for furniture, glassware, ceramics and metalwork. They mocked high-status by building furniture with inexpensive materials such as plastic laminates, decorated to resemble exotic finishes such as animal skins. Their work was both functional and — as intended — shocking. Even as it preceded the Memphis Group's formal launch, Sottsass's iconic Ultrafragola mirror — in its conspicuously curved plastic shell and radical pops of pink neon — embodies many of the collective's postmodern ideals.
Sottsass's most-recognized designs appeared in the first Memphis collection, issued in 1981 — notably the multihued, angular Carlton room divider and Casablanca bookcase. As pieces on 1stDibs demonstrate, however, Sottsass is at his most imaginative and expressive in smaller, secondary furnishings such as lamps and chandeliers, and in table pieces and glassware that have playful and sculptural qualities.
It was as an artist that Ettore Sottsass was celebrated in his life, in exhibitions at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, in 2006, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art a year later. Even then Sottsass’s work prompted critical debate. And for a man whose greatest pleasure was in astonishing, delighting and ruffling feathers, perhaps there was no greater accolade. That the work remains so revolutionary and bold — that it breaks with convention so sharply it will never be considered mainstream — is a testament to his genius.
Venini
Beginning in the 1930s — and throughout the postwar years especially — Venini & Co. played a leading role in the revival of Italy’s high-end glass industry, pairing innovative modernist designers with the skilled artisans who created extraordinary chandeliers, sconces and other lighting in the centuries-old glass workshops on the Venetian island of Murano.
While the company’s co-founder, Paolo Venini (1895–1959), was himself a highly talented glassware designer, his true genius was to invite forward-thinking Italian and international designers to Murano’s hallowed workshops to create Venini pieces — among them Gio Ponti, Massimo Vignelli, Finnish designer Tapio Wirkkala, Thomas Stearns of the United States and Fulvio Bianconi.
Paolo Venini trained and practiced as a lawyer for a time, though his family had been involved with glassmaking for generations. After initially buying a share in a Venetian glass firm — he and antiques dealer Giacomo Cappellin established Vetri Soffiati Cappellin Venini & C. in 1921 — Venini took over the company as his own in 1925, and under his direction, it produced mainly classical Baroque designs.
In 1932, Venini hired the young Carlo Scarpa— who would later distinguish himself as an architect — as his lead designer. Scarpa, working in concert with practiced glass artisans, completely modernized Venini, introducing simple, pared-down forms; bright primary colors; and bold patterns such as stripes, banding and abstract compositions that utilized cross sections of murrine (glass rods).
Paolo Venini’s best designs are thought to be his two-color Clessidre hourglasses, produced from 1957 onward, and the Fazzoletto (“handkerchief”) vase, designed with Bianconi in 1949. Bianconi’s masterworks are considered by many to be his Pezzato works — colorful vases with patterns that resemble those of a patchwork quilt.
Other noteworthy and highly collectible vintage Venini works include Ponti’s dual-tone stoppered bottles (circa 1948); rare glass sculptures from the Doge series by Stearns, the first American to design for the firm; Vignelli’s striped lanterns of the 1960s; the Occhi vases with eyelet-shaped patterns by Tobia Scarpa (son of Carlo); and, with their almost zen purity, the Bolle (“bubbles”) bottles designed by Wirkkala in 1968.
With these works — and many others by some of the creative titans of the 20th and 21st centuries — Venini has produced one of the truly great bodies of work in modern design.
Find antique and vintage Venini chandeliers, serveware, table lamps, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: murano, Italy
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
- 21st Century Ettore Sottsass Collection Kiritam Table Lamp in Aquamarine/Milk-WhBy Venini, Ettore SottsassLocated in murano, ITIts name evokes its ancient meaning: "crown", from the Sanskrit term kirīṭam. Its shape recalls those of the most worshipped and depicted Hindu deities. But gold gives way to glass. ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Table Lamps
MaterialsGlass
- 21st Century Ettore Sottsass Collection Bhusanam Table Lamp in MulticolorBy Venini, Ettore SottsassLocated in murano, ITIn the hands of Ettore Sottsass, glass and metal take on new shapes that nod to India. They give a new visual meaning to the Sanskrit term that inspires the name of this piece: bhu?a...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Table Lamps
MaterialsGlass
- 21st Century Veliero Floor Lamp in Crystal/Milk-White by Tadao AndoBy Venini, Tadao AndoLocated in murano, ITVeliero comprises 6 modular elements; the simplicity of the original square remains unchanged, and is actually enhanced by the encounter with the other elements, expressing itself in...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Floor Lamps
MaterialsGlass
- 21st Century Anni Trenta Luce Floor Lamp in Milk-White by VeniniBy VeniniLocated in murano, ITArt Nouveau, Charleston, the dawn of a new design era. The 1930s, celebrated by VENINI in 1997 and wistfully recalled with essential and innovative shapes like those that marked the ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Floor Lamps
MaterialsGlass
- 21st Century Tolboi-Belboi-Stilboi Floor Lamp in Milk-White/Red by VeniniBy VeniniLocated in murano, ITTall, slender and elegant, it’s Tolboi. Light passes through Milk White glass, spreading its soft yet strong glow, and revealing the tones of Red and Tea that enliven the core of its...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Floor Lamps
MaterialsGlass
- 21st Century Tolboi, Belboi, Stilboi Floor Lamp in Milk-White / Red by VeniniBy VeniniLocated in murano, ITTall, slender and elegant, it’s Tolboi. Light passes through Milk White glass, spreading its soft yet strong glow, and revealing the tones of Red and Tea that enliven the core of its...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Floor Lamps
MaterialsGlass
- Venini Ratrih Floor Lamp by Ettore SottsassBy Venini, Ettore SottsassLocated in Brooklyn, NYVenini Ratrih floor lamp by Ettore Sottsass. Numbered edition for year Year of manufacture: 1994-2017 Marble base Color: Milk-white/black Measurements: Ø 18.11", H 66.92" 1 x...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsGlass
- Italian Modern Murano Glass Ratrih Floor Lamp by Ettore Sottsass for Venini 1994By Venini, Ettore SottsassLocated in MIlano, ITItalian modern steel, marble and Murano glass Ratrih floor lamp by Ettore Sottsass for Venini in 1994. Ratrih model floor lamp, with round marble base...Category
1990s Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsMarble, Steel
- Cavalieri Floor Lamp EU 220 V. by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano CollectionBy Memphis Milano, Ettore SottsassLocated in La Morra, CuneoCavalieri Floor Lamp EU Wiring 220 V. in Wood and Plastic Laminate by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano collection Additional Information: Floor lamp in wood and plastic laminat...Category
2010s Floor Lamps
MaterialsPlastic
- KING'S Floor Lamp UE 230 V, by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano collectionBy Ettore Sottsass, Memphis MilanoLocated in La Morra, CuneoKING'S Floor Lamp UE Wiring 230 V. in Metal and Glass by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano collection Additional Information: Floor lamp in metal and glass. Collection: Memphis...Category
2010s Floor Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- King's Floor Lamp EU 220 V. by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano CollectionBy Memphis Milano, Ettore SottsassLocated in La Morra, CuneoKing's floor lamp EU wiring 220 V. in Metal and Glass by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano collection Additional Information: Floor lamp in metal and glass. Collection: Memphis...Category
2010s Floor Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- 21st Century Black and Pink Marble SARE Floor Lamp with Milk GlassBy Merve KahramanLocated in New York, NY“Sare” is a floor lamp inspired by the 17th century ruff collar which was a symbol of wealth and status. It also resembles the silent clown “Pierrot” wit...Category
2010s Turkish Arts and Crafts Floor Lamps
MaterialsMarble, Chrome