Chrome Saturn Wall Lamp
The Massive labels explained in 4 pictures
Mass. Max. 60 W. = Massimo is Italian, Maximum is used in all other European languages were Massive sold lamps during that period. 60 Watt. The label of this chrome Saturn wall lamp is the label on the top left.
Links (external links open in a new window)
Massive – Wikipedia (in Dutch)
The complete history of the Philips company
The Reggiani website – Reggiani.net
Il testimone invisibile (2018) – IMDb
Vintageinfo
Chrome Saturn Wall Lamp
Materials: Chromed metal (iron) round base. Chrome rods. Chrome ornamental nuts. 4 chrome discs. Bakelite E27 socket.
Height: 15 cm / 5.90” – with light bulb.
Height: 11,5 cm / 4.52”
Width: ∅ 16 cm / 6.29”
Electricity: 1 bulb E27, 1 x 75 watt maximum, 110/220 volt
Any type of light bulb with an E27 socket can be used, not a specific one preferred. For this setup a silver tipped light bulb was used.
Period: 1970s – Mid-Century Modern.
Designer: To be appraised.
Manufacturer: Massive, Mortsel, Belgium.
This chrome Saturn wall lamp or flush mount is the Massive copy of a lamp that was probably produced for the first time by Reggiani Spa Illuminazione, as you can see below. The Reggiani lamp has 6 rings, a smaller base and it lacks a chromed tube around the Bakelite socket.
Lamps in this style were designed by Hans Agne Jakobsson, Kazuo Motozawa, Enrico Tronconi and several other designers. Also the Italian brand LOM from Milan produced a lamp like this one, but with a white opal glass diffuser on top and with two light bulbs. Also the Tronconi lamp has a glass lampshade.
Massive
Massive was in origin a bronze foundry and they produced mainly candlesticks, crucifixes and chandeliers in Wilrijk near Antwerp, Belgium. The company was founded in 1926 by Pieter-Jozef De Jaeck. His son Eddy De Jaeck was responsible for the huge expansion of the company in the 1970s. But it were his sons, Piet and Jan De Jaeck who made Massive a true multinational. Thus, they moved production to Eastern Europe and China.
In the 1980s Massive Lighting became the leading brand in Europe. In 2002, the brothers left the company to the investment fund CVC Capital Partners, for allegedly more than 250 million euros.
Since 2008 the company is owned by Philips and the name of the shops is changed into Light Gallery.
When the takeover by Philips was announced in November 2006 Massive commercialised more than 10.000 lighting products under brand names such as Massive, TRIO and Lirio. The group had about 5.000 employees worldwide and was active in 70 countries.
Reggiani
Goffredo Reggiani founded the company in the Italian town of Monza in 1957 and designed most of the lamps himself. In the beginning Goffredo most often used plywood and sanitized opaque glass in his designs as you can see in this example, giving his lights a Scandinavian look. Later in the 1960s and 1970s his interest shifted towards brass and chromed metal.
The Reggiani company still exists.
This lamp is equipped with an Acciarri switch. Acciarri is an Italian family name, mostly found on the east coast of the country. Inside the switch it says Acciarri Italy. Nothing to be found about this company. The model of the switch and the plug suggest that this is a 1950s – early 1960s lamp. Ditto for the electrical parts inside.
Reggiani Chrome Saturn Lamp
Massive Chrome Saturn Lamp
Lamps in the movies
A chrome Saturn wall lamp or in this case a table lamp made by Reggiani was used as a prop in the 2018 Italian thriller drama film Il Testimone Invisibile (The Invisible Witness). Starring Riccardo Scamarcio, Miriam Leone and Fabrizio Bentivoglio.
