< nr. 73 >

Tolomeo Sospensione

Year: 1986

The Tolomeo design is the result of the product development team of Artemide. The Italian lighting manufacturer brought together the famous industrial designer Michele de Lucchi and Giancarlo Fassina, designer and head of the Research and Development department at Artemides.

The result was a desk lamp with an aluminium head: a heavy base that sprouts an anodised opaque head that can turn 360 degrees and can be turned downwards and upwards by means of a simple lever, which – importantly – remains cold when the lamp is lit. A system of steel cables ensures that the lamp stays in the selected position.

In the mean time, the series has been expanded to include floor lamps, suspended lamps, wall lights, mini’s and desk lamps in different colours. The two-armed suspended lamp is a version that is not as common as the floor, wall and desk lamps. The Tolemeo has become a household word and a design icon. In 1989, the Tolomeo desk lamp was awarded the Compasso d’Oro, due to, it was said, its perfect marriage between design and engineering.