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Angelo Lelii Calla Table Lamp
Angelo Lelii
Mint green version of this table lamp
Angelo Lelii – Arredoluce
Links (external links open in a new window)
Silvana Editoriale website – publisher of the book
Vintageinfo
1940s pendant lamp model 12126
TV lamps
Angelo Lelii Calla Table Lamp
Materials: Brass tripod base and brass parts. Red painted aluminium conical folded lampshade, painted white inside. 3 white plastic caps. Bakelite E14 socket.
Height: 30 cm / 11.81”
Width: ∅ 11 cm / 4.33”
Electricity: 1 bulb E14, 1 x 60 watt maximum, 110/220 volt.
Any type of light bulb can be used, not a specific one preferred.
Period: 1950s, 1960s – Mid-Century Modern.
Designer: Angelo Lelii aka Angelo Lelli.
Manufacturer: Arredoluce, Monza, Italy.
Other versions:
This Angelo Lelii Calla table lamp exists in several colour variations. A mint-green version is shown below.
This table lamp is commonly referred to as “Calla”, after the calla lily. However, the Calla table lamp designed by Angelo Lelii around 1950 is a different design. That earlier Calla model was also produced as a floor lamp and features multiple flower-shaped elements rising from a diabolo-shaped base. The present lamp was simply described as a “table lamp” when it entered production around 1959.
These lamps belong to the category of so-called “TV lamps”: table lamps intended to be placed on top of a black-and-white television to provide indirect backlighting. At the time, living rooms were often darkened to improve the visibility of the relatively blurry television screens, and such lamps helped soften the contrast by gently illuminating the surrounding space.
This table lamp is documented in the reference book Arredoluce – Catalogo Ragionato 1943–1987 / Catalogue Raisonné, written by Anty Pansera, Alessandro Padoan and Alessandro Palmaghini, and published by Silvana Editoriale. The table lamp is discussed on page 322. The earlier Calla floor and table lamp designs are documented on pages 123 and 281.
Angelo Lelii
Angelo Lelii (Ancona, 1915 – Monza, 1987), often also referred to as Angelo Lelli, was one of the most important figures in post-war Italian lighting design. He was not only a designer, but also a manufacturer, inventor and entrepreneur, with an unusually direct involvement in every stage of a lamp’s development, from the first idea to production.
Lelii approached lighting in a highly practical and inventive way. A bulb, a reflector, a metal joint or a new mechanical solution could become the starting point for an entirely original design. This constructive way of thinking gave his work a distinctive balance of technical intelligence, formal clarity and visual elegance.
Unlike many designers of his time, Lelii was deeply engaged with the manufacturing process itself. He continuously refined details, experimented with finishes and materials, and developed lamps in which movement, proportion and light distribution were carefully resolved. His work was never purely decorative: even his most elegant designs reveal a strong understanding of mechanics and function.
His output ranged from more restrained and classically balanced models to highly original and experimental designs that anticipated the spirit of later Italian modernism. In both cases, Lelii showed a remarkable sensitivity to the relationship between light, space and structure. This combination of invention and discipline is what makes his best lamps still feel so modern today.
Throughout his career, Lelii designed a large number of lighting models, many of which are now considered among the most significant examples of Italian modern lighting. Some were elegant and understated, others bold and technically daring, but the strongest of them all share the same qualities: precision, imagination and a highly personal sense of form.
As the founder and driving force behind Arredoluce, Lelii also created the framework in which many important collaborations could take place. Yet his own contribution remains distinct. He should be regarded not merely as the man behind a famous company, but as a designer of exceptional originality whose work helped define the language of Italian lighting in the decades after the Second World War.
Arredoluce
Arredoluce was founded in 1947 in Monza by Angelo Lelii and became one of the most original and technically refined lighting manufacturers of post-war Italy. The company remained active until 1987.
From the beginning, Arredoluce stood apart through its combination of engineering precision, architectural sensitivity and Italian craftsmanship. Its lamps were never merely decorative objects: they were conceived as carefully resolved lighting instruments, often featuring sophisticated mechanics, refined metalwork, adjustable structures and an inventive use of colour, brass, lacquered aluminium and glass.
Arredoluce developed rapidly during the late 1940s and 1950s, presenting itself not simply as a manufacturer but as a company closely connected to the most progressive ideas in Italian architecture and interior design. It gained early visibility at the 1947 Triennale and soon became involved in important residential, commercial and exhibition projects.
A major strength of Arredoluce was its role as a creative platform for leading architects and designers. Over the years, the company worked with figures such as Gio Ponti, Ettore Sottsass Jr., Vico Magistretti, Nanda Vigo, Mario Tedeschi, Egle Amaldi, Achille Castiglioni, Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, Luigi Radice, Franco Albini, Marco Comolli, Elio Monesi, Vincenzo Gozzini, Enrico Taglietti, Gregotti, Meneghetti & Stoppino, Cesare Lacca and Franco Giovanni Legler.
Arredoluce was also closely linked to important architectural commissions in Italy and abroad. Through its collaboration with Gio Ponti, the company supplied lighting for projects such as Villa Planchart in Caracas, the Alitalia offices in New York, the Time-Life Building Auditorium in New York, the Pakistan House Hotel in Islamabad, and the Parco dei Principi hotels in Rome and Sorrento. These projects show how naturally Arredoluce moved between domestic lighting, custom interiors and large architectural environments.
Rather than following mass-market trends, Arredoluce pursued a research-driven approach. Many of its models were technically ambitious and produced in relatively small numbers, which helps explain why original examples are often rare today.
After the company ceased operations in 1987, the name Arredoluce acquired an almost legendary status among collectors. The original firm founded by Angelo Lelii should not be confused with later, unrelated businesses using the same name.
Important note on the name “Arredoluce”: Today, the name Arredoluce is used by more than one unrelated company, which can easily cause confusion. The website arredoluce.com represents a modern initiative connected to the historic Arredoluce legacy: it explicitly states that “Arredoluce is a trademark owned by Auralis srl” and presents the brand as a continuation or reintroduction of the Monza tradition linked to Angelo Lelii.
By contrast, the company behind arredoluce.it is a separate and unrelated Italian business. Its own company history states that it was founded in 1986 in San Giovanni Lupatoto, near Verona, and focuses on lighting consultancy, projects and retail. No documented connection with the original Arredoluce of Monza is indicated on that site.
Angelo Lelii Calla Table Lamp – Company Labels
