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Venetian Appeal
Italian manufacturers of decorative lighting products are always pushing the boundaries to explore new designs and innovative ideas to enhance interiors
When it comes to style in lighting, it is hard to beat Italian art and craftsmanship. Italy is renowned for creating fabulous designs and lighting concepts, so much so that its products represent a vast area of artistic production where great attention has been given to both form and functionality. Italian designers are adept at fusing modern manufacturing techniques with classic design, to produce lamps of unsurpassed quality and originality.
The Venetians in particular have developed the most beautiful crystal works of art in the world, and Venetian crystal is noted for its brilliance and imaginative forms. This glorious glass, used to create impressive chandeliers and lamps, is gracing many of the world’s most magnificent buildings. Modern chandeliers from Italy are very ornate, containing dozens of lamps and intricate arrangements of shapes that scatter and diffuse light in complex, attractive patterns.
Light designers, specifiers and manufacturers were treated to some of Italy’s finest creations at the Lighting South Asia trade show, held in Mumbai early this year. Never before had trade buyers in India viewed such an impressive display of classical chandeliers and futuristic light fittings with lamps and lights in unlimited shapes, sizes and materials.
Florence-based Euro Lamp Art srl’s impressive array of chandeliers in wrought iron enriched with Murano glass left viewers spellbound by their sheer artistry. The company also produces wall brackets and standing lamps in handmade wrought iron, exclusively hand decorated and enriched with Murano glass and crystal. Said Laura Scelfo, sales manager (info@eurolampart.it) of the company, “Each product is handcrafted with great attention to detailing and finishing. We offer a very large choice of specialised products and colours on demand by our clients, apart from those listed in our catalogue.”
Banchetti Giacomo (info@falbgroup.com) of Falb Illuminasione srl informed that the company manufactures classic Florentine-style lights based on contemporary ideas. The glass is fashioned and decorated by master glass makers who use the Scavo technique, while the wrought iron fittings are embellished with intricate cast details, and enriched with the finest gold or silver leafing techniques or brass. “Our collection is extremely interesting and suited to the furnishings of our times. Our lamps complement all kinds of interiors with their variety.”
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Giving Shape to Light
Italian light designs are a combination of art, function and fashion. Here are a few notable classic designs that have been influenced by various art movements across different cultures, and remain ever popular in modern installations. Rococo Revival Period (1840-60) and Neo-Rococo (1820-70): Also known as French Antique, designs of this period were influenced by revival of the Rococo style by the French and were originally gas lit. Italy’s famous antique lighting pieces of this period are intricate, and lavishly designed using natural elements such as Italian glass, with asymmetrical scrolls, curves and lavish carvings of cornucopias, fruits, birds, flowers and foliage.
Art Povera (Late 60s): This is Italy’s most important and influential post-war art movement that often used unusual materials and unorthodox ideas such as glass, steel, bronze, gold and even soft leather. The term Arte Povera was introduced by the Italian art critic Germano Celant in 1967, and literally means ‘poor’. The movement was particularly influential during the early 1970s in countries with large Italian migrant populations, such as Australia. Modern designers are re-introducing uncommon materials from industry, organic origin or common use such as non-inflammable polyethylene mesh and plastic strips, to make tri-dimensional pieces.
Murano: Glass is the hallmark of the production from the island of Murano near Venice. The amazing craftsmenhave over centuries refined technologies to produce crystalline glass andenamelled glass, also called ‘smalto’, glass with threads of gold, multi-coloured glass and milk glass. Traditional hand blown glass is used for a wide range of ceiling lamps and wall fixtures in wrought iron supports.
Florentine: Relating to Florence (the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany). Lamps are characterised by a dull matt/chased or rubbed finish.
Art Baroque (Late 1500s to late 1700s): This period was characterised by exuberance and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature and music, often with strong contrasts of light and shadow to enhance dramatic effects. The style started in Rome and later spread to most of Europe.
Art Nouveau: This era, which began around 1890, was a major contrast to the formal and structured styles of the Victorian period. Designs were characterised by soft curved shapes, flowing lines, and natural motifs such as flowers, animals and the female form. They were influenced by differing cultures such as Japanese woodblock prints, Celtic patterns and Islamic designs. This era is also considered to be the first 20th century modern style, and the first that stopped looking backwards in history for ideas, taking inspiration instead from what it saw around it, in particular the natural world.
Art Deco (1920s and ‘30s): This international design and art movement rejected the organic, naturalistic sensibility of the Art Nouveau. It was a machine-made aesthetic for a fast-paced industrial age, using symmetry and line to bring order to the natural world. Lamps have the standard straight industrial look, with lots of angles and squared glass or paper shades. Also common are figural lamps with stems made to look like people, and freestanding figures on the same base as the lamp. Egyptian aesthetics were also popular. Most lamps are of metal, though some had wood bases or were made from Bakelite or other resins. The highlight of these lamps is their glass shades, which can range from angular and white to rounded art glass.
Tiffany: The Tiffany-style lamp is an American symbol of functionality as well as beauty. It was pioneered by Louis Comfort Tiffany, son of the founder of the Tiffany and Co jewelry firm. In collaboration with Thomas Edison, he made the first Tiffany Studios lamps in the mid-1890s. The typical lamp had a bronze base with a thinner neck leading into a shade made of stained glass pieces, originally held together by copper foil. This style spread to Europe, and significantly influenced the creations of Italian designers.
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Giulia De Marchi, (info@ilparalumemarina.it) of Il Paralume Marina SNC, had this to say, “Our high-end products reflect the history of Italian art, and they have been developed according to current trends and cater to elite buyers.”
Giacomo Cipriani, administrator (jago_srl@libero.it) of Jago srl, informed that the company’s entire gamut of services includes designing to implementation, from painting or chromium plating of the metal, to creation of lampshades, to packing and shipment. He said, “Our strength is the realisation of the whole production from conceptualisation to the designing stage, up to dispatch of the finished products. We also offer specialisation and exclusivity through experimentation with new materials.”
Ardino Giuseppe, (giuseppe.ardino@kaal.it) of Kaal International srl, whose stall was aglow with the finest of fancy lighting, informed that the company has been providing Murano glass, 24 carat gold, and Swarovski crystal lighting products to customers in over 40 countries.
Products from Mechini srl in Florence were admirable for their exclusive handcrafted designs. Said Mechini Andrea (info@mechini.com), “We make our lamps one by one and completely by hand, taking care of each minor detail. In fact, it is impossible for us to make two identical pieces since they are handmade and unique. We also offer to make exclusive works based on personalised designs, or can modify any of our existing models by varying the colour or size.”
Sandra Cassese, export manager (info @solari-illuminazion.it) of Solari Illuminazion srl informed that the company produced articles in forged iron, which were then decorated by hand in finest tempera or with silver, gold, or copper leaf and finishing. Some collections came with Swarovski crystals, or Murano or hand polished Bohemia crystals. All products could be modified since they were made in-house in the company’s factory.
Italian companies are optimistic about the Indian market. Based on research, they have realised that the Indian decorative lighting industry is in its nascent stage and can not yet meet the growing demand of its consumers, whose emerging tastes and purchasing power is making them very selective. There is also a growing demand for high-end design oriented luminaries for commercial spaces, hotels and malls, and Italian companies are confident that they have a lot to offer by way of finished products and design techniques to Indian lighting companies.
World over, Italian lamps are sought after not only for their looks but also for their high level of functionality, so much so that Italy is a world leader in decorative lighting products with a share of 20% in global exports. What interior decorators and users of decorative lighting find so appealing about them is that they are as highly dependable as they are beautiful and unique. Plus, the lamps are produced in accordance with compliance criteria that guarantee reliability and quality.
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