Snow Floor Lamp by Vico Magistretti for O-Luce, 1970s

About the Item

Snow 301/C floor lamp designed by Vico Magistretti and manufactured by O-luce in 1973. This floor lamp is part of the Snow series, consisting of a pendant, table lamp and this floor lamp. According to Archivio Vico Magistretti: "A synthesis of elegance and simplification". The most striking feature of this floor lamp is the conical shape that is reflected in both the marble base and the perspex shade. The shade rests by gravity, without the use of screws, on the end of the black lacquered metal stem. The end of this stem is shaped like a ball and also contains the two light bulb holders (originally for E27, maximum 60W). We recommend the use of a Led lamp.

Creator:
Vico Magistretti (Designer),O-Luce (Manufacturer)
Design:
Snow Floor LampSnow Series
Dimensions:
Height: 63 in (160 cm)Diameter: 24.41 in (62 cm)
Style:
Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Marble,Metal,Plastic,Lacquered
Place of Origin:
Italy
Period:
1970-1979
Date of Manufacture:
1970s
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. There are small, not very visible traces and scratches on the marble base.
Seller Location:
Rotterdam, NL
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU2839328249142
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Vico Magistretti

As one of the founding fathers of modern Italian design, prolific architect and industrial designer Ludovico Magistretti (known by his nickname Vico) was guided by his philosophy, “There is no excuse for bad design.” His architectural projects are widely revered, and an ingenious meld of form and function can be found in his stylish and deceptively simple table lamps, sofas, armchairs and other mid-century furnishings.

Born in Milan, Magistretti followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather (both architects) to study architecture at the Polytechnic University of Milan. At the outbreak of World War II, he fled to Switzerland, and it was there he met his role model and mentor, renowned humanist architect Ernesto Nathan Rogers. Magistretti was inspired by Rogers’s vision to revive postwar Italy, and they collaborated on several reconstruction projects. Among Magistretti’s first architectural designs is a “poetic” round church, which he created for the QT8, an experimental Milanese neighborhood.

When Magistretti returned to Milan in 1945, he worked at his father’s architectural firm. It wasn’t until the early 1950s that he expanded his talents into design while working with furniture artisans.

In the 1960s, Magistretti began his 30-year working relationship with famed entrepreneur Cesare Cassina of the Cassina furniture manufacturing company. In their design approach, the two men shared a vision of the relationship between modernity and tradition and enjoyed a close bond (Magistretti designed Cassina’s luxurious villa in 1965). However, their friendship was not without contention.

Legend has it that upon seeing the prototype for Magistretti’s Maralunga sofa, Cassina hated it so much that he punched it, breaking the back of the sofa, which crumpled into itself.

“Right, great, it looks perfect to me like that,” an unfazed Magistretti allegedly responded, and the Maralunga’s slumped, adjustable-height backrest was born. Incidentally, the Maralunga sofa won Italy’s Compasso d’Oro award as did his Eclisse lamp for Artemide and his Atollo lamp for Oluce.

Magistretti died in 2006, but his designs live on in galleries, museums and private residences and offices around the world.

Find a range of vintage Vico Magistretti furniture and lighting on 1stDibs.