A Martinelli Luce Serpente table lamp appears in the Milano Salono Del Mobile – 22-29 September 1968 – Catalogue 6 (Furniture expo in Milan, Italy)
Martinelli Luce Cobra Table Lamp, designed by Elio Martinelli in 1968
Links (external links open in a new window)
All The Money In The World (2017) film – Wikipedia
All The Money In The World (2017) film – IMDb
Dis-Moi Que Tu M’Aimes (1974) film – Wikipedia
Dis-Moi Que Tu M’Aimes (1974) film – IMDb
Sean Connery vs James Bond (2022) documentary – IMDb
Vintageinfo
Many thanks to Ger for the beautiful pictures and enthusiasm. Martinelli Luce for the picture of the Cobra table lamps.
Martinelli Luce Serpente Table Lamp
Materials: Round white base. Black plastic lid on the bottom. White painted metal (aluminium) curved swivel arm rod. Some metal parts. White acrylic mushroom lampshade. Bakelite E27 socket.
Height: 45 cm / 17.71”
Width: ∅ 45 cm / 17.71”
Base: ∅ 23 cm / 9.05”
Electricity: 1 bulb E27, 1 x 60 watt maximum, 110/220 volt.
Any type of light bulb can be used, not a specific one preferred.
Period: 1960s until now – Mid-Century Modern.
Designer: Elio Martinelli (1921-2004) in 1965.
Manufacturer: Martinelli Luce S.P.A. (Società per azioni – Joint-stock company), Via Santa Lucia, 9, 55100 Lucca, Italy. Some 80 km (50 miles) away from Florence and 20 km (13 miles) from Pisa.
Other versions: The Martinelli Luce Serpente table lamp is in production since 1965. It is made until today. During the years it is produced in slight variations and colors. For instance, for the 50th birthday of this lamp, gold-colored metal with white acrylic diffuser was designed. The table lamp is model 599 and the floor lamp is model 2131.
Martinelli Luce
Martinelli Luce was founded in 1950 by Elio Martinelli. He focused originally on interior design and lamps for retail outlets, hotels, restaurants, and public houses. Designers that worked for the company: Adolini+Simonini Associati, Gae Aulenti, Sergio Asti, Michel Bouquillon, Marco De Santi – Studio Natural, Angelo Micheli, Studio Orlandini, Luc Ramael, Karim Rashid, Marc Sadler, Studio Lucchi & Biserni, Brian Sironi, Studio 4P1B and many others.
Elio Martinelli
Elio Martinelli was born in Lucca, Tuscany in 1921. He studied as a set designer at the Institute of Fine Arts in Florence. At first, he worked for his father’s business within the lighting sector. Soon he began designing and installing lighting systems that resulted in the founding of his own company Martinelli Luce in 1950.
Elio Martinelli designed many famous lamps. Many of them are still in production. The Biconica (1987), Duemiladuecentocinquanta (2250 in Italian – 1986), Le Rondini (1984), Foglia (1969), Cono (1980), Blow (1980), Out (1984), Tube (1977), Poliedro (1962), Flex (1969), Gomito (1974), Nuvole Vagabonde (1999), Serpente (1965), Elmetto (1976) and the Cobra (as you can see on the left, in 1968), to name the most important.
His works are on display in many design museums around the world. Martinelli worked until his death in 2004 for the company.
Acrylic
Often named by its commercial name: Perspex, Plexiglas, Crylux, Acrylite, Lucite, is a thermoplastic.
Lamps in the movies
All The Money In The World (2017)
Two Martinelli Luce Serpente table lamps were used as a prop in the 2017 crime thriller film All The Money In The World. Directed by Ridley Scott. Staring Michelle Williams, Christopher Plummer and Mark Wahlberg. A movie about the kidnapping in Rome in 1973 of 16-year-old John Paul Getty III, grandson of oil tycoon Jean Paul Getty. The Martinelli Luce Serpente table lamp appears two times in a different setting as you can see.
Lamps in the movies
Dis-Moi Que Tu M’Aimes (1974)
A Martinelli Luce Serpente table lamp together with a floor lamp were used as a prop in the 1974 French comedy film Dis-Moi Que Tu M’Aimes (Say that you love me). Directed by Michel Boisrond. Staring Mireille Darc, Jean-Pierre Marielle and Marie-José Nat.
A Martinelli Luce Serpente table lamp is visible next to the bed of the late Sean Connery. It appears in the 2022 documentary Sean Connery vs James Bond.
A Martinelli Luce Serpente table lamp on the desk of Étienne Davignon, chairman of the board of directors of the Brussels Airlines company. Here in a fragment on Kanaal Z (Channel Z) about the Corona crisis. Kanaal Z is a Belgian television channel focused on economic reporting.
