Oscar Torlasco Table Lamp 577

Oscar Torlasco table lamp 577 – New version – Catalogue picture

Links (external links open in a new window)

Compasso d’Oro – Wikipedia

Premio Compasso d’Oro – Oscar Torlasco 1959 award – Wikipedia (Italian)

Lumi website

History of Lumi on their website

Vintageinfo

Torlasco table lamp model 533/P

Table lamp model 578

Black desk or table lamp

Red glass table lamp

Other Oscar Torlasco lamps

Oscar Torlasco Table Lamp 577

Materials: Black painted brass square conical base, finished with wrinkle paint. Built-in transformer. Brass rod. Brass tubular conical lampshade, partially painted black. Glass optical lens. Chrome rod with a small round black decorative handle on top. Some metal parts. Bakelite E14 socket.

Height: 50 cm / 19.68”

Width: 29 cm / 11.41”

Base: ∅ 10 cm / 3.93”

Electricity: 1 bulb E14, 1 x 40 watt maximum, 12 volt. 125/160/220 volt adjustable built-in transformer.
Any type of light bulb can be used, not a specific one preferred.

Period: 1960s – Mid-Century Modern.

Designer: Oscar Torlasco (1934-2004) in 1960.

Manufacturer: Lumi Cripa S.R.L., Via Imperia 20 and Piazza Missori 2, Milan, Italy.

Other versions: The Oscar Torlasco table lamp 577 was produced in two sizes. Model 577 is 30 cm / 11.81” high, while model 577 G measures 50 cm / 19.68” in height. The lamp was made in several colours. The Lumi company still produces this model today.

Over the years, small variations were introduced. Different mechanisms were used to adjust the voltage, minor changes were made to certain components, and slight differences in height can be observed. Many examples of this table lamp measure approximately 51.5 cm / 20.27” in height.

All versions of this table lamp were designed in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Some variants remained in production for many years. Model 577 was designed in 1960.

In the book 1000 Lights: 1879–1959, by Charlotte & Peter Fiell, published in 2005, the lamp is attributed to a design by Giò Ponti from 1955 (page 523). However, this attribution is incorrect. According to the Lumi company, the lamp was designed by Oscar Torlasco in 1960.

Oscar Torlasco

Born in Rome, Italy, in 1934, Oscar Torlasco designed many remarkable lamps. He is best known for his designs for the Lumi company. Torlasco also worked for several other Italian lighting manufacturers, including Esperia, Stilux, Lamperti, and Stilkronen.

Most of his designs date from the 1950s and 1960s. A distinctive feature of his work is the frequent use of optical lenses to control and diffuse the light, which became his trademark. In 1959, Torlasco received Italy’s most prestigious design award, the Compasso d’Oro (Golden Compass), for his Genova 4053 street lighting design. These lamps were produced by Fabbrica Apparecchi Illuminazione Greco S.p.A. Oscar Torlasco passed away in 2004.

Lumi

In 1944, Carlo Antonio Crippa founded the workshop Lumi (Lights). Crippa surrounded himself with some of the most prominent designers of the time, including Guglielmo Berchicci, Anselmo De Sanctis, Pia Guidetti (Crippa), Maurizio Favetta, Ugo La Pietra, Giò Ponti, Prospero Rasulo, Alessandro Scilipoti, Matteo Thun, Gianni Veneziano, Luciana Di Virgilio (Veneziano & Team), Mario Vallini, Nanda Vigo, and, of course, Oscar Torlasco. The Lumi company has always been known for its use of high-quality materials.

Today, Lumi still operates as a workshop where materials are shaped according to the designer’s imagination. All production is carried out by hand, even when modern technology is employed. For many of the crystal lamps and chandeliers produced today, Swarovski components are used. The company has remained family-owned since its foundation and is now led by the third generation. Lumi is part of the Falb group.