Recalling sculptor Constantin Brancusi's audacious forms, the brass stem of the Cobra table lamp, created by Italian designer Angelo Lelii (1911–79), casts a long and slender shadow beneath a magnetized adjustable sphere, or “socket,” where the bulb is positioned. The curious socket fixture is tucked inside a cobra-like “hood” that gave the lamp its name. Lelii’s revolutionary 1962 design allowed for light to be directed according to preference, and a dimming switch controls the intensity of the light. It was among the first lamps to use low voltage, thanks to the transformer housed in its base. As one of the best-known examples of postwar Italian lighting, it encapsulated the design ethos and emphasis on innovation long associated with Arredoluce, the lighting company Lelii founded in 1943.
Raised in Monza — where he would also begin to work with lighting in the late 1930s — Lelii encountered considerable success as a designer after several of his lamps appeared in Domus, the design journal cofounded by Giò Ponti. Arredoluce was a prolific firm, and counted Ponti, Ettore Sottsass Jr. and other well-known figures as designers, with many contributions coming from Lelii himself. Famous for a free-flowing exchange between factory workers and designers, Arredoluce helped define Italy’s modernist lighting industry, alongside companies such as Arteluce and Oluce.
Lelii’s simple and spare Cobra fell out of production, as did the company’s other designs, after Arredoluce shuttered following the maker’s death. Today, the lamp remains a striking encapsulation of the minimalist, technically advanced design principles he cultivated there. Demand for Lelii’s provocative and sculptural work has only increased over the years.
Pair of Cobra table lamps, model no. 12919 by Angelo Lelii
By Angelo Lelii, Arredoluce
Located in Brussels, BE
Stunning 'Cobra' table lamps by Angelo Lelii designed in 1962. Two versions at the same price in very good state. Refinished and rewired in our workshop. Eye ball adjustable on a...
Brass, Chrome
$6,200
H 10 in W 2.75 in D 5.5 in
Angelo Lelii Cobra table lamp model 12919 for Arredoluce Italy, c. 1962
By Angelo Lelii, Arredoluce
Located in Skokie, IL
Angelo Lelii Cobra table lamp model 12919 for Arredoluce Italy, c. 1962 Dimensions: 24 1/2" h × 4 1/2" w × 4 1/2" d Materials: brass, enameled ste...
Aluminum, Brass, Steel
Angelo Lelii for Arredoluce ‘Cobra’ Table Lamp
By Angelo Lelii, Arredoluce
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Angelo Lelii for Arredoluce, ‘Cobra’ table lamp, model ‘12919’, chrome-plated brass, coated iron, coated steel, Italy, circa 1962 This outstanding table lamp model ‘12919’ known as...
Brass, Steel, Chrome, Iron
Unavailable|$19,400 / set
H 8.67 in W 7.09 in D 7.09 in
Angelo Lelii for Arredoluce Rare Pair of Table Lamps
By Arredoluce, Angelo Lelii
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Angelo Lelii for Arredoluce, pair of table lamps, model '12398', enameled aluminum, brass, Italy, circa 1952 Arredoluce captures it perfectly: “One of Lelii's many inventions that p...
Aluminum, Brass
Angelo Lelii table lamp model 12990 for Arredoluce Italy, c. 1963
By Angelo Lelii, Arredoluce
Located in Skokie, IL
Angelo Lelii table lamp model 12990 for Arredoluce Italy, c. 1963 Condition: Good vintage condition. Some scratching and visible wear to nickel-plating. Tested and working.
Aluminum, Brass, Steel
Table lamp by Angelo Lelli ( Lelii ) for Arredoluce Italy, 1969
By Angelo Lelii, Arredoluce
Located in Renens, CH
Rare Brushed steel "14082" table lamp by Angelo Lelii for Arredoluce Italy This beautiful lamp is the perfect illustration of Angelo Lelli's avant-gardism and attention to detail. ...
Metal
1969 Angelo Lelii Table lamp, model 500 for Arredoluce, Italy.
By Arredoluce, Angelo Lelii
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Angelo Lelii Table lamp, model 500 for Arredoluce, Italy, c. 1969 Made from chrome-plated steel, aluminum, enameled aluminum, marble Applied Arredoluce Archives registration label ...
Marble, Aluminum, Steel
$14,176
H 24.41 in Dm 4.34 in
Cobra table lamp in Nickeled brass by Angelo Lelii for Arredoluce, Italy 1962
By Arredoluce, Angelo Lelii
Located in Rotterdam, ZH
Cobra table lamp mod. 12919 in nickeled brass by Angelo Lelii for Arredoluce, Italy 1962. Intriguing design of an elegant tulip shaped tubular stem with a spacious impressed oval 'co...
Nickel
$7,652 / set
H 9.06 in Dm 4.73 in
Angelo Lelii for Arredoluce, Pair of Italian table lamps, model 12398, 1952
By Angelo Lelii, Arredoluce
Located in Wargrave, Berkshire
These iconic mid-Century Italian table lamps were manufactured by Arredoluce to a design by Angelo Lelii, circa 1952. Sold as a pair, each lamp is made of aluminium and brass, on a m...
Marble, Aluminum, Brass
Pair of table lamps, design by Angelo Lelii, Italy
By Angelo Lelii, Arredoluce
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Pair of lamps with polished brass frame and rotating painted aluminum diffuser, design by Angelo Lelii for Arredoluce, Italy. 1952.
Aluminum, Brass
Angelo Lelii 12445 table lamp Arredoluce Italy 1954
By Arredoluce, Angelo Lelii
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
The model 12445 table lamp, designed by Angelo Lelii and manufactured by Arredoluce in Italy in 1954, is a refined example of mid-century architectural design. This compact yet strik...
Metal
Angelo Lelii, "Cobra" Table Lamp, Brass, Metal, Italy, 1962
By Angelo Lelii, Arredoluce
Located in High Point, NC
A brass and black-lacquered metal "Cobra" table lamp designed by Angelo Lelii and produced by Arredoluce, Italy, 1962. Overall Dimensions (inches): 24” H x 4.75” W x 3” D Stated d...
Metal, Brass
$9,043
H 18.9 in W 16.93 in D 7.09 in
Angelo Lelii, Desk or Table Lamp, model 12401, Arredoluce, Italy, circa 1952
By Angelo Lelii, Arredoluce
Located in Wargrave, Berkshire
Rare adjustable table lamp, model no. 12401, designed by Angelo Lelii circa 1952 and manufactured by Arredoluce, Monza, Italy. Marble base, with lacquered and polished brass stem co...
Marble, Aluminum, Brass
"Cobra" Table Lamp by Angelo Lelli for Arredoluce
By Angelo Lelii, Arredoluce
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Cobra table lamp by Angelo Lelli for Arredoluce. Designed and manufactured in Italy, circa 1960s. Brass shade, encasing a magnetic, steel eyeball. Original cord. Takes one E27 Europe...
Metal, Brass, Steel
Cobra Lamp by Angelo Lelli for Arredoluce, 1960s
By Angelo Lelii, Arredoluce
Located in Echt, NL
Beautiful Arredoluce 'Cobra' lamp in good condition. Design: Angelo Lelli, Italy, 1960s. Crème lacquered metal base. Pivoting magnitized oxide steel ball which holds the socket ...
Metal, Brass
Cobra Lamp by Angelo Lelli for Arredoluce
By Angelo Lelii, Arredoluce
Located in Little Burstead, Essex
A beautiful example, it benefits from a rewire with new transformer, so noww uses a 12V halogen bulb and the click down on/off switch with turn to dim works fine!
Brass, Steel
Angelo Lelii for Arredoluce Cobra Table Lamp or Eye Lamp
By Angelo Lelii, Arredoluce
Located in Kansas City, MO
Angelo Lelii cobra table lamp, Arredoluce, Italy, 1964. Chrome-plated brass, enameled aluminum, blackened steel This lamp has been registered in t...
Aluminum, Steel, Chrome
Angelo Lelli Cobra Light Sculpture, Lamp, 1964 by Arredoluce, 1st Edition
By Angelo Lelii, Arredoluce
Located in Munster, NRW
Legendary table lamp "Cobra" by Angelo Lelli, mod° 12919 made by Arredoluce, 1964 stem in chromed steel, base in white lacquered metal, Italy. 1st series edition, with orignal l...
Chrome
