Daniela Puppa, for FontanaArte.

DANIELA PUPPA (Italy, 1947) for FontanaArte.
“2850” table lamp, designed in 1991.
Satin-finished opal glass and aluminum.
Signed. Bearing the FontanaArte mark.
In working condition.
Measurements: 72 x 54 x 18 cm.

The Model 2850 dates from the period when Daniela Puppa was solidifying her collaboration with FontanaArte and began to apply the experimental sensibility she had previously developed with the Alchimia and Memphis groups to lighting design. Dated 1991, the design combines a bold geometric presence with a formal refinement that foreshadows Prima Signora, the well-known lamp she would create for the firm the following year.

The composition is constructed by superimposing two truncated cone-shaped volumes of different scales: the central body appears to extend visually into the large shade, creating a continuous, almost architectural silhouette. The curved base stabilizes the ensemble and accentuates the contrast between the verticality of the body and the expansion of the shade. This pursuit of essential forms and diffused light is fully in keeping with the tradition of FontanaArte, a firm with which Puppa maintained a professional relationship since the early 1980s.

An architect and designer trained at the Milan Polytechnic, Daniela Puppa developed a multifaceted career spanning product design, lighting, textiles, and fashion. She was an editor at Casabella, helped launch Modo, and collaborated with Alchimia and Memphis before working for firms such as FontanaArte. Her work is represented in the design collection of the Centre Pompidou, which houses various textile pieces created by the designer in the early 1980s.