Work: Eclipse

Description

“Industry and designers are like bread and jam—they need each other.” This emblematic quote by Vico Magistretti, the mastermind behind the Eclisse lamp, perfectly encapsulates the philosophy of the entire Collezione Design. While these iconic objects demanded the creative genius of visionary designers, they equally required the bold manufacturing companies that ultimately brought them into our homes.

The spark for Eclisse came in 1965 from Ernesto Gismondi, the founder of Artemide. He challenged Magistretti to design a lamp that could easily vary the intensity of its light.

Standing just 20 cm tall, the painted aluminum table lamp beautifully solves this problem using two concentric, globular shades: a fixed outer shell (12 cm in diameter) and a smaller, rotating inner one. Magistretti drew his inspiration from the concept of the “blind lantern” described by Victor Hugo in Les Misérables.

Both shades sit atop a hemispherical base, with the light source safely nestled inside. By rotating the inner shade, the user can gradually obscure the bulb until only a soft, luminous halo remains—mimicking a solar eclipse. In modern models, this adjustment is made effortlessly via a ribbed dial at the base. In the earliest versions, however, one had to rotate the inner shade directly, which could get incredibly hot from the old incandescent bulbs. This ingenious mechanism allows the lamp to shift seamlessly between direct task lighting and soft, diffused ambiance.

Our collection features two classic versions—one in orange and one in white. Today, Artemide continues to manufacture the Eclisse in an array of contemporary colors and finishes.

“But the patrol set out again, leaving behind Jean Valjean, who, out of all that activity, noticed nothing except the eclipse of the lantern.” Victor Hugo

More info: Eclisse on the Artemide website