Standard lamp, steel and glass, Italy, Brescia, made by Flos s.p.a., 1962 -1970, designed by A. & P.G. Castiglioni, 1962.

Standard lamp, the base is constructed of two parallel strips of metal which connect to two short sections of angle iron running at right angles which act as stabilisers. A transformer, to convert the voltage from 240 volts AC to 12 volts DC, sits in the middle and is secured by screws to the base. On the right hand side of the base, a section of square tubing rises to meet a flat metal strip, parallel and rising from the other side of the transformer which curves, at the top through 90° and crosses to meet with the top of the square tubing. The base construction, apart from the transformer, is decorated in red enamel. The shaft which supports the lamp bracket, extends from the base and is a length of chromed, hexagonal steel rod welded to the top of the shaft, bent through 90° to curve inwards and then sweep sharply upwards and outwards to support a ring of hexagonal rod within which sits the lamp. The lamp is a car head lamp, supplied by General Electric. It has a parabolic chromed reflector and a convex glass lens. On the back of the reflector is a stamp which reads as follows: Medium Flood / 300W / GE / 120V / USA. The double core flex terminates in two, conical plastic cased plugs, taped together with masking tape which slot into two copper prongs, protruding through an oblong ceramic insulator at the back of the head lamp. The flex is retained along the shaft by fishing rod loops, attached to the main shaft by masking tape. The slack is looped around a simple, chromed steel, butterfly bracket which is attached to the square, tube section of the shaft by a knurled screw.

Gift of Flos s.p.a.

This lamp is amongst the first issue (1962) of this design which is still in production, although with modifications, today. It is an early example of the `High Tech' style, using industrial components in unexpected contexts, which became universally fashionable in the early 1980s. This lamp was originally selected for the Flos archive and has been donated to the Museum by Sig. Marco Pezzolo, a senior director of the company.

Achille Castiglioni (1918-2002) was born in Milan. As early as 1940 he dedicated himself to testing industrial production with brothers Livio (1911-1979) and Pier Giacomo (1913-1968). After graduating in architecture in 1944, he began research into shapes, techniques and new materials, aimed at developing an integral design process.

He was one of the founders of ADI in 1956. In 1969, he was authorised by the Ministry of Education to teach Artistic Design for Industry and was a professor at Turin's Faculty of Architecture until 1980 and then professor of Industrial Design in Milan until 1993.

Pier Giacomo Castiglioni (1913-1968) established the Architecture,Urban Buildings and Research into Industrial Design practice with his brother Livio in 1937.. In 1952 Livio left; another brother, Achille joined the practice in 1944.

He graduated from the Department of Architecture at Milan Polytechnic in 1937 and co-wrote a libel on the Milan Town Planning Scheme: “Fifty Significant Squares in the Milan of the Future” with the architect Carlo Pagani in 1938.

He was Lecturer and Assistant in Architectural Composition, Professor in Drawing and Relief Work at the Milan Faculty of Architecture. He was also a member of the Board of the Association of Architects and of the Milan City Council Building Commission.

M.35:1-1992