Saffo
Saffo
The spectacular Saffo Lamp was designed in 1966 by Italian architect, sculptor, and designer Angelo Mangiarotti and has since been a coveted vintage object. The remarkable design bares testament to his background as a sculptor and shows his unique approach to combining shapes and materials. Saffo is made of mouth-blown glass and spreads a soft light that enhances the many material characteristics of the glass.
The white glass in the bottom elegantly hides the light source and as the shape of the mushroom starts to form, the white glass blends into transparent and makes way for the light. The sculptural qualities of the Saffo lamp make it a spectacular design object whether turned on or off.
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The spectacular Saffo Lamp was designed in 1966 by Italian architect, sculptor, and designer Angelo Mangiarotti and has since been a coveted vintage object. The remarkable design bares testament to his background as a sculptor and shows his unique approach to combining shapes and materials. Saffo is made of mouth-blown glass and spreads a soft light that enhances the many material characteristics of the glass. The white glass in the bottom elegantly hides the light source and as the shape of the mushroom starts to form, the white glass blends into transparent and makes way for the light. The sculptural qualities of the Saffo lamp make it a spectacular design object whether turned on or off.
"My colleagues don't do it as much but I like to think that the things we do have to last longer than us and to last I have to use simple principles, elementary concepts, primary materials."
Product Material
Base in aluminium, shade in mouth
Italian architect, sculptor and designer Angelo Mangiarotti was born in Milan in 1921. Mangiarotti is quoted to have said, ”Happiness comes from honesty”. A quote that hints to his overall design approach rooted in the firm belief that architecture was a practical discipline and that industrial design was an expression of fine craftsmanship. He wanted each individual material to be respected and to be used in an appropriate and honest way. Beyond his many architectural feats, Mangiarotti’s body of work boasts a wide array of creative projects from sculpture, to products and lighting. Over the course of his career, he held lecturing positions at a number of distinguished design and architecture schools in Italy and abroad, he won numerous awards in both design and architecture, and his work has been included in exhibitions and collections at some of the world’s leading art and design institutions such as Centre Pompidou in Paris, Triennale Design Museum in Milan and Gallery MA in Tokyo.
DESIGNED BY
Angelo Mangiarotti
Italian architect, sculptor and designer Angelo Mangiarotti was born in Milan in 1921. Mangiarotti is quoted to have said, ”Happiness comes from honesty”. A quote that hints to his overall design approach rooted in the firm belief that architecture was a practical discipline and that industrial design was an expression of fine craftsmanship. He wanted each individual material to be respected and to be used in an appropriate and honest way. Beyond his many architectural feats, Mangiarotti’s body of work boasts a wide array of creative projects from sculpture, to products and lighting. Over the course of his career, he held lecturing positions at a number of distinguished design and architecture schools in Italy and abroad, he won numerous awards in both design and architecture, and his work has been included in exhibitions and collections at some of the world’s leading art and design institutions such as Centre Pompidou in Paris, Triennale Design Museum in Milan and Gallery MA in Tokyo.
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Through conceptual rigour and a deep understanding of materials, Angelo Mangiarotti designed sculptural lamps informed by architecture and art. As an architect, designer and sculptor Angelo Mangiarotti played with shape and scale in a profound and yet playful way. A sketch of the entrance to the Armitalia compound in Cinisello Balsamo from 1968, could be a working drawing of the Lari lamp, produced ten years later. A50-metre high water tower designed in 1961 in the form of a truncated cone or mushroom shape was echoed in the Saffo and Lesbo lamps, Secticon clocks and alabaster containers.
Read moreMangiarotti & Light
Through conceptual rigour and a deep understanding of materials, Angelo Mangiarotti designed sculptural lamps informed by architecture and art. As an architect, designer and sculptor Angelo Mangiarotti played with shape and scale in a profound and yet playful way. A sketch of the entrance to the Armitalia compound in Cinisello Balsamo from 1968, could be a working drawing of the Lari lamp, produced ten years later. A50-metre high water tower designed in 1961 in the form of a truncated cone or mushroom shape was echoed in the Saffo and Lesbo lamps, Secticon clocks and alabaster containers.
Read more