Italian entrepreneur, sculptor and designer Sergio Cammilli was born in 1920 in the Province of Pistoia in Tuscany — the home of the Italian Renaissance and the birthplace of legendary modernist furniture brand Poltronova, which Cammilli founded in 1957.
Poltronova is known for embracing the creativity that opposites can introduce to a space. Its radical furniture and lighting designs are simultaneously grounded in classic aesthetics and inspired by what were then new and provocative artistic movements of mid-century Italy (Cammilli had studied at the Porta Romana Art Institute in Florence). This tension resulted in unique and extraordinary pieces at the manufacturer, from eccentric, glove-shaped armchairs to striking dining tables that featured a mix of materials and textures.
In the year that Cammilli established Poltronova — which began as a modest workshop with a handful of upholsterers — the company won the Compasso d’Oro for the Panchetto chair designed by Luciano Nustrini. Revolutionary Italian architect Ettore Sottsass — a maestro of postmodern design who would later establish the Memphis Group — came on board as an art director in 1958. Poltronova manufactured many of his furniture and ceramic designs. Sottsass’s lighting, seating and other works for Poltronova showcase the designer’s bold experimentation with solid wood, glass, metal and laminate materials.
Other established names in Italian furniture design collaborated with Poltronova’s Sottsass and Cammilli, including Giovanni Michelucci, Gae Aulenti and Angelo Mangiarotti. However, the company truly set itself apart in its partnerships with Superstudio and Archizoom Associati, groups that were part of an irreverent, avant-garde movement in art and design that took shape during the 1960s in Florence, Turin and Milan. Superstudio’s wondrous Gherpe lamp and Archizoon’s Mies armchair, for example, are attributed to Design Centre, a subsidiary of Poltronova that existed from 1967 until around 1979.
Collectives associated with the avant-garde movement — which would one day be called Italian Radical design — drew on Pop art and minimalism and explored working with unconventional materials to create colorful, quirky and uniquely shaped objects and furnishings. At the time, Cammilli and Sottsass also worked with up-and-coming names in the art world, like painter Max Ernst and sculptor Mario Ceroli.
Poltronova showcased its groundbreaking designs in many exhibitions, such as “La Casa Abitata,” which was held in Florence in 1965. At Milan’s Eurodomus trade show in 1970, Poltronova debuted an entire bedroom collection designed by Sottsass — including his sensuous Ultrafragola mirror. The brand’s furnishings were included in a 1972 exhibition at New York’s Museum of Modern Art called "Italy: The New Domestic Landscape," and in 1977, Poltronova again won the Compasso d’Oro for a book called Fare Mobili con Poltronova (Making Furniture with Poltronova).
Poltronova's enduring and acclaimed furniture designs came to be loved far outside Italy. During the 1960s, importer Charles Stendig met Cammilli through designer couple Massimo and Lella Vignelli and represented the company, helping introduce it to the American market.
Cammilli left Poltronova during the 1970s and subsequently worked as an independent designer in his own studio. In 1986, he established Mirabili, which he once called a consortium of “well-known artists and designers selected for their particular gifts and their poetic world, lending an innovative and sensitive contribution to the cultural image of the habitat as ‘Art of Living.’”
In 2002, Formitalia Luxury Group acquired Mirabili (now known as Mirabili Arte d'Abitare). In 2005, Poltronova established the Centro Studi Poltronova to recreate some of the company's iconic furniture.
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Sergio Cammilli 'Snail' lamp
By Sergio Cammilli, Bieffeplast
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Introducing the 'Snail' Lamp designed by Sergio Cammilli in 1974, crafted from fiberglass, this lamp was manufactured by Bieffeplast in Italy and represents an early production run m...
Metal
Vintage Alfa Table Lamps by Sergio Mazza, Murano Glass, 1959-1960
By Sergio Mazza, Artemide
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A vintage Mid-Century modern pair of Italian table lamps, model Alfa are made of hand blown Murano glass, designed by Sergio Mazza and produced by Artemide, in good condition. The slightly smoked round shades of the desk lights are enhanced by a brass ring with a polished knob, featuring a two light socket. The base is made of hand crafted polished Rosewood. The wires have been renewed. Wear consistent with age and use. Circa 1959 - 1960, Pregnana Milanese, Italy. Base: 1.5" H x 5.5" diameter Shade: 5.75" x 13.75" diameter Sergio Mazza is an Italian designer, born in 1931, in Milan, Italy. In 1955, Mazza opened his own business and since 1961 he stared working with G. Gramigna in the Smc study. Artemide is an Italian design-oriented manufacturer, founded in 1960, in Pregnana Milanese, Italy by the Italian engineer Ernesto Gismondi and Sergio Mazza. The company Artemide is well-known for their excellent design, for example the Tizio desk lamp designed by the German industrial designer Richard Sapper. Many well-known designers and architects have worked together with the company, such as the Swiss architect Mario Botta, the English architect Sir Norman Foster any many others. Artemide has won the Compasso d’Oro award for lifetime achievement in 1995 and the European Design Prize in 1997. Artemide lamps...
Metal, Brass
$3,083
H 10.24 in W 13.39 in D 13.39 in
Sergio Mazza Chioccio White Aluminum Chrome Table Lamp Quattrifolio 1970s Italy
By Sergio Mazza, Quattrifolio
Located in Lisboa, PT
A sculptural and rare lighting object, the Chioccio table lamp was designed by Sergio Mazza for Quattrifolio in the 1970s and manufactured in Rozzano, Milan. Named after the Italian ...
Metal, Chrome
FORNASETTI Rare Ceramic Snail Table Lamp
By Fornasetti, Piero Fornasetti
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Vintage original white ceramic giant snail lamp / made in Milan Italy by Fornasetti, 1970s Original label underside Measures: length 13.8 inches, width 9.8 inches, height 19.3 inches...
Ceramic
Alfetta Table Lamp by Sergio Mazza for Artemide, Italy, 1960s
By Artemide, Sergio Mazza
Located in Hagenbach, DE
The Alfetta table lamp was designed by Sergio Mazza for Artemide in the 1960s and is a refined example of Italian mid-century lighting design. Known for his precise and rational aest...
Metal
A "sea snail" lamp - French folk art - 1950s
Located in SOTTEVILLE-LÈS-ROUEN, FR
A "sea snail" lamp in the style of French folk art, created in the 1950s, was often crafted using large sea shells as a central element. "Sea shell" lamps were popular during this p...
Marble
$935Sale Price|65% Off
H 33.08 in W 11.82 in D 5.91 in
Maitland-Smith Snail Shell Table Lamp in Pen Shell & Bronze, 1980s
By Maitland Smith
Located in Glasgow, GB
A sculptural and rare statement lamp by Maitland-Smith, crafted in the 1980s and exemplary of the firm’s signature blend of luxury materials and organic form. This dramatic design ...
Bronze
Profiterole floor/table lamp by Sergio Asti for “Martinelli Luce”
By Sergio Asti, Martinelli Luce
Located in HAARLEM, NL
Sergio Asti for “Martinelli Luce”, “Profiterole” floor or table lamp. Italy 1968. The Profiterole lamp, designed by Italian designer Sergio Asti (1926-2021) for Martinelli Luce, beau...
Plastic, Fiberglass
A huge "sea snail" lamp - French folk art - 1970s
Located in SOTTEVILLE-LÈS-ROUEN, FR
A "sea snail" lamp in the style of French folk art, created in the 1970s, was often crafted using large sea shells as a central element, mounted on a limestone base. limestone is a p...
Limestone
Mid-Century Sergio Asti "Paracarro" Table Lamp for Bilumen, Italy 1972
By Bilumen, Sergio Asti
Located in London, GB
For sale, Sergio Asti's highly collectable “Paracarro” table lamp, produced by Bilumen, Italy, in 1972. The Paracarro was produced in a range of subtle tinted finishes, including grey, purple, yellow, milk-white, and green, as seen here. While exact production figures remain undocumented, it's widely claimed that fewer than 100 of these lamps were ever produced. Irrespective of the exact production numbers, these are extremely rare lamps, with relatively few examples recorded in the marketplace and literature. The lamp consists of three hand-blown glass domes, nested one within the other, enclosing an opaline globe diffuser at the core, all of which sit on a chrome-plated brass stepped base. The lamp is in superb vintage condition. The three hand-blown glass dome elements are in superb condition. The base is in excellent condition, with some very minor age-related marks on the outside, and some loss to the chrome coating, revealing the core brass material, around the inner edge where the largest dome sits (see photos). Of note, the innermost opaline globe shade is not believed to be the original, but a later, almost like-for-like replacement. Sergio Asti (1926–2021) was a leading figure of Italian design in the postwar era, known for his refined balance of modernist clarity and expressive form. Trained as an architect at the Politecnico di Milano, he established his studio in 1956 and quickly gained recognition through the Compasso d’Oro award and international exhibitions. Asti collaborated with prominent Italian manufacturers such as Bilumen, Arnolfo di Cambio, Fontana Arte, and Artemide, producing glass, furniture, and lighting that combined industrial precision with sculptural elegance. His works are held in major design collections, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Bilumen (originally founded as ABM – Alfredo Bianchi...
Chrome
$1,800
H 31 in W 17 in D 17 in
"Arquitectura" Skyscraper Steel Metal Table Lamp by Sergio Orozco for Brueton
By Brueton
Located in Philadelphia, PA
"Arquitectura" Skyscraper Steel Metal Table Lamp by Sergio Orozco for Brueton. Item features a polished metal shade, brushed metal base, clean Modernist ...
Steel
Sergio Asti and Sergio Favre Table Lamp for Adrasteia Milano, Italy 1960s
By Adrasteia, Sergio Favre, Sergio Asti
Located in Milan, IT
Sergio Asti and Sergio Favre table lamp for Adrasteia Milano, Italy 1960s.
Brass
$6,500
H 18.5 in W 23.5 in D 18 in
Albanella Table Lamp by Sergio Brazzoli & Ermanno Lampa for Guzzini
By Sandro Brazzoli, Harvey Guzzini, Ermanno Lampa
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Albanella Table Lamp by Sergio Brazzoli & Ermanno Lampa for Guzzini. Manufactured in Italy, circa 1970s. Plastic, rubber, metal. Original cord. Ta...
Metal
Snail Lamp by Sergio Cammilli for Francesconi, Italy 1974
By Sergio Cammilli
Located in Rotterdam, ZH
Snail lamp by Sergio Cammilli for Design Centre, Italy 1974. Early production manufactured by Francesconi, marked both on the outer shell and inner part. Se...
Opaline Glass, Fiberglass
Sergio Camilli Snail Chiocciolona Designed, 1974
By Sergio Cammilli, Bieffeplast
Located in Munster, NRW
Sergio Camilli. 'Snail' or 'chiocciolona' table light, designed in 1974. Measures: H. 35.5 cm. Made by Bieffeplast, Brescia. Fiberglass, black plastic.
"Snail" Lamp by Sergio Camilli for Bieffeplast
By Sergio Cammilli, Bieffeplast
Located in Los Angeles, CA
sculotural "snail" lamp
Fiberglass