Harvey Guzzini Masselo Table Lamp

Materials: Conical clear acrylic massive tube or rod base. White half round acrylic diffuser. Tubular stainless steel lampshade. Chrome Bakelite ring. Some metal parts. Bakelite E27 socket.

Height: 50 cm / 19.68”

Width: 27 cm / 10.62”

Electricity: 1 bulb E27, 1 x 60 watt maximum, 110/220 volt.
Any type of light bulb can be used, but a silver tipped bulb is preferred, as used in this setup.

Period: 1970s – Mid-Century Modern.

Designer: Luigi Massoni (1930 – 2013).

Manufacturer: Harvey Guzzini, today named iGuzzini illuminazione S.p.A, via Mariano Guzzini, 37, 62019, Recanati, Italy.

Other versions: The Harvey Guzzini Masselo table lamp exists in two sizes. The big one, is 70 cm / 27.55” high and 40 cm / 15.74” wide. It has an E27 lamp socket on top, 100 watt maximum and two E14 lamp sockets below. 40 watt maximum. A table lamp with a fabric lampshade with chrome rims exists. Also a pendant lamp with this stainless steel lampshade exists.

Commercial code: 4026, big one: 4005.

In production from 1968 until 1978.

You can find these lamps with labels from Harveiluce, Harvey Guzzini and iGuzzini. In some countries they were also sold under the brand name Meblo. Meblo is a Croatian (Yugoslavian at that time) company that sold products from Harvey Guzzini. Meblo still exists.

The Harvey Guzzini Masselo table lamp is often named Lucite table lamp. Lucite is a commercial name for clear acrylic. Masselo is the Italian word for ingot.

iGuzzini 

iGuzzini illuminazione was established in June 1958 by Raimondo Guzzini (born 1928) under the name Harvey. Harvey is derived from the famous movie ‘Harvey’ with James Stuart and the invisible rabbit Harvey from 1950.
The initial production of enamelled copper objects was supplemented by decorative luminaires.
In the early sixties it became a family business when his 5 brothers joined the company. In 1962 Luigi Massoni was attracted to lead the design team. He worked for Fratelli Guzzini and Harvey Guzzini until 1976. Luigi Massoni designed many iconic lamps in that period.
The company still exists and changed the name in 1974 into iGuzzini and in 1981 to iGuzzini illuminazione.

Luigi Massoni

Luigi Massoni was born in Milan, Italy on January 22nd 1930 and was a architect and designer. For some thirty years, he has also worked as a freelance journalist and editor. He lived in Recanati, near Milan where he died in 2013.

After years of education at the “Collettivo di Architettura” of Milan and his first professional experiences between 1953 and 1955, he began working for Alessi and created his famous Bar set. First in 1957 together with Carlo Mazzeri the cocktail shaker and a bit later the Serie 5 containers.

Together with architect Carlo De Carli, he founded “Il Mobile Italiano”. In 1959, associating a group of furniture industrialists, he founded “Mobilia”, one of the first centers for the promotion of Italian design.

Also in 1959, he began working for Boffi Cucine, realizing some of the first modular systems for the home and kitchen. For Boffi he created: the Dogu kitchen and bathroom, the Xila kitchen and bathroom, the Punto bathroom, the E15 kitchen, the AL15 kitchen and the A1 cupboard.

He was editor and director of “Marmo Tecnica Architettura”  from 1956 until 1963. Thanks to his publications, he plays a key role in the development of industrial and craft-based businesses. His works are published in the most important Italian and foreign magazines and have been awarded numerous prizes and acknowledgements.

Designers

Designers that worked for Harvey Guzzini – iGuzzini are, among others: Giò Ponti, Rodolfo Bonetto, Bruno Gecchelin, Renzo Piano, Norman Foster, Gae Aulenti, Piero Castiglioni, Jean-Michel Wilmotte, Mario Cucinella, Dean Skira, Renzo Piano, Massimo Iosa Ghini, Enzo Eusebi, Massimiliano e Doriana Fuksas, Jean-Marie Duthilleul, Maurici Ginès, Maurici Ginès, Roberto Pamio, Paul Andreau, Felice Ragazzo, Giuseppe De Goetzen, Franco Bresciani, Carlo Urbinati, Giuseppe Cormio, Ermanno Lampa, Sergio Brazzoli and of course Luigi Massoni.

MEBLO

Harvey Guzzini lamps were also sold under the brand name MEBLO. MEBLO is a Slovenian (Yugoslavia) company.

The MEBLO factory was founded in 1948 when Gorizia craftsmen joined forces and founded the Furniture Factory, later named Edvard Kardelj (communist leader and national hero of World War II). In 1950 the name changed in MEBLO.

At first, they made exclusive furniture, which was later supplemented with upholstered furniture, lighting, plastic and mattresses.

MEBLO also produced plastic chairs and tables, plasticised metal garden tables and chairs, plastic chairs for sports halls, plastic flower beds, mirrors and plastic bathroom equipment (design by Luigi Massoni), wooden set of club tables, shelves, buffet carts and mirrors (design by Gianfranco Frattini).

The last lamps were produced around 1990, 1991 until the break-up of Yugoslavia.

Today the company is named MebloJOGI. It only produces mattresses for beds.

Sijaj Hrastnik

Before Meblo started to produce Harvey Guzzini lamps, Sijaj Hrastnik, another Slovenian company sold them in Yugoslavia.

Acrylic: often named by its commercial name: Perspex, Plexiglas, Crylux, Acrylite, Lucite, is a thermoplastic.

Stainless steel or inox is an alloy of iron, chrome and carbon.

VLM Components

The wiring, plug, switch and socket are Italian and they are made by VLM Components from Buccinasco near Milan. The company became famous for the switches they produce since 1968, designed by Achille Castiglioni. You can find them over here. This Harvey Guzzini Masselo table lamp is equipped with a big 475 switch designed by Castiglioni.

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.