Carlo Nason expo – Triennale Milan 2015
Carlo Nason – 2019 Interview
Many thanks to I Muranesi for the Carlo Nason interview.
Carlo Nason Zodiaco Table Lamp
Materials: Round silver painted metal (iron) conical base. Black painted metal cover on the bottom of the base. Frosted hand blown Murano glass Capricorn on top. Plastic E14 socket.
Height: 17 cm / 6.69”
Width: 16,5 cm / 6.49”
Base: ∅ 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. For this setup a clear twisted bulb was used.
Period: 1990s.
Designer: Carlo Nason – attributed.
Manufacturer: iTRE, Murano, Italy
Other versions: This Carlo Nason Zodiaco table lamp exists in 12 versions, one for each zodiac sing. Other lamps with the same base also exists. You can find them with a red heart, a moon and so on.
Often said that these lamps are made in the 80s, but those are false assumptions. They all have the European CE marking. It became mandatory in the early 90s.
VLM Components
All the electric parts were made by VLM Components in the 1990s. The company was founded in 1945 in Buccinasco, a small village near Milan, Italy. The company became famous for the switches they produce since 1968, designed by Achille Castiglioni. You can find them over here. VLM is part of the Relco Group, founded in 1967. Today they are the owners of the brands Relco, Leuci, Relco Lighting, VLM and Segno.
Carlo Nason
Carlo Nason
Born in Murano in 1935 he grew up in one of the oldest families of Murano glass makers, where experts introduced him to the most refined techniques. His father’s factory was just the right place to familiarise himself with the structure of work and experimentation. His works from the 1950s were famous and are still in the collections of the Corning Museum in New York today.
In the 1960s he worked for the family glass works V. Nason & C.
He quickly started to collaborate with other glass workshops, with special attention for modern design and achieving a combination of technique and craftsmanship which characterizes all his projects. Carlo has always shown an attitude for innovation without losing his tradition.
From 1965 until the 1980s he designed the complete collection of AV Mazzega, that today is an icon of vintage: the creation of the highest quality at the level of its design.
In 2015, on his 80th birthday, he was invited by the Milan Triennale to exhibit a selection of his most important designs.
Carlo Nason designed for Vistosi, De Majo, Kalmar Franken, Leucos, Alt Lucialternative, Gallery Vetri D`Arte, Murano Due, Vetreria Vistosi, Vetreria Carlo Moretti, Vetreria Livio Seguso, Gruppo Firme di Vetro di Salzano, Selenova and several other companies.
Not only he designed glass objects, he designed ceramics for Baldelli, a ski-boot for Garmont; consultant for Casinos Austria International in Vienna, perfume flacons for fashion designers and worked on graphics for several companies.
iTRE
In 1975 he founded his own company iTRE. Since 2002 the company is owned by FDV Group S.p.A., better known as LEUCOS. Many well-known designers worked for the iTRE company.
Not only is he a designer, he is also passionate about photography. In the 60s and 70s he has won numerous competitions.
Carlo’s work can be found in several museums. The Museum of Modern Art MoMA in New York, USA, the Triennale Design Museum in Milan, Italy. The Corning Museum of Glass in New York has a large collection of his works.
Links (external links open in a new window)
I Muranesi – Interviews with great Murano glass artists and designers