"Candia" Lamp. VISTOSI

VISTOSI (Murano, Italy).
“Candia” table lamp, ca. 1965–1970.
Murano opal glass.
Measurements: 25 cm (diameter); 26 cm (base length).

The “Candia” belongs to the period when Vistosi made Murano glass one of the key materials in postwar Italian lighting design. Its sculptural approach dispenses with the conventional structure of a shade and base: a wide disc of opal glass is arranged obliquely atop a conical body, creating an asymmetrical silhouette that changes noticeably depending on the viewing angle. The milky opacity of the glass allows for an even diffusion of light, integrating both lighting function and sculptural volume into a single piece.

Vistosi’s modern history began in Murano after World War II, when the company gradually shifted its focus to lighting under the direction of Gino and Luciano Vistosi. During the 1960s and 1970s, the company collaborated with key figures in Italian design such as Gae Aulenti, Angelo Mangiarotti, Ettore Sottsass, and Vico Magistretti, playing a decisive role in bringing the Murano glassmaking tradition into contemporary design. Vetreria Vistosi’s work is also represented in the architecture and design collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, which houses, among other pieces, Peter Pelzel’s *Bottiglia*, produced by the company in 1962.