Romolo Lanciani Tender Table Lamp

Materials: Frosted opal glass half round tubular lampshade. Chromed metal (iron) curved handle. White painted metal (iron) round base. Bakelite E27 socket.

Height: 28 cm / 11.02”

Width: ∅ 15 cm / 5.90”

Electricity: 1 bulb E27, 1 x 75watt maximum, 110/220 volt.
Anytypeof light bulb canbeused, not a specific one preferred. 

Period: 1980s.

Designer: Romolo Lanciani in 1980.

Manufacturer: Tronconi s.r.l. via Bernini 5/7, 20094 Corsico, Milano, Italy.

Other versions: This Romolo Lanciani Tender table lamp exists in several colours and two table lamp sizes. The handle was at least made in blue, red, black and gold. It also exists as a big floor lamp.

Since being acquired by Kundalini, Tronconi has reissued a series of design icons, including this Tender table lamp, but with a fancier base. You can find it on the Tronconi website.

Romolo Lanciani

Romolo Lanciani is an Italian industrial designer best known for this, lantern-like table lamp. Lanciani also designed lighting for Leucos, Piuluci and several other companies.

Tronconi

Tronconi was founded in 1956 by Enrico Tronconi in Milan with its first headquarters at via Bernini 5/7, Corsico. Later the company moved to Via XX Settembre 154, Conegliano (TV).. Initially producing lamps in a more traditional style, Tronconi quickly embraced the new design impulses of the 1970s. The brand became known for its experimental approach, balancing technological innovation with strong aesthetics.

During the 1970s and 1980s Tronconi introduced some of its most famous creations. Tronconi designed Bambu’ floor lamp (1971), followed by the Il Personaggi lamp series (1972) by Federico Rezzonico and Lorenzo Carmellini. Silvio Coppola created the sculptural Mezzaluna Don table lamp (1974), while Cini Boeri designed the iconic Abat-Jour lamp series (1975). In the same year Ettore Arcelli and Cesare Pattarino presented the Bull floor and table lamp, and Giotto Stoppino followed with the Drop table lamp and floor lamp (1976). In the 1980s, Romolo Lanciani designed the Tender table and floor lamps (1980), Raul Barbieri created the Bulbone table lamp (1983), and later returned with the Suite table and floor lamp (1998). These lamps became symbols of Italian modern lighting design.

Over the years, Tronconi collaborated with many important Italian and international designers, keeping the catalog dynamic and innovative. In 2006 the historic brand was acquired by Kundalini, a Milan-based company founded in 1996 and specialized in contemporary lighting. Kundalini continued developing products in the style and spirit of Tronconi, securing its legacy within Italian design history.

Bambu’ – Bamboo

An attribution that often appears is that Enrico Tronconi designed the Bambu’ floor lamp for Vistosi. I have found no evidence to support this claim. On the contrary, the Bambu’ floor lamp appears in a Tronconi catalogue from the 1970s without a designer’s name, and it does not appear in any Vistosi catalogue. At best, Vistosi may have produced the glass components, but there is no documentation to confirm this. In that same Tronconi catalogue, all lamps with external designers are credited by name, while those developed by the internal design team are left unsigned. The Bambu’ (often spelled “Bamboo ”) clearly falls into the latter category.

Designers

Giotto Stoppino, Bruno Gecchelin, Lorenzo Carmellini, Ettore Arcelli, Cesare Pattarino, Arik Levy, Silvio Coppola, Christophe Pillet, Cini Boeri, Raul Barbieri, Gabriella Montaguti, Giovanni Crosera, Giorgio Marianelli, Jean-Marie Massaud, Marco Sousa Santos, Mario Mazzer, Michael Sodeau, Palomba Serafini, Patricia Urquiola, Patrick Norguet, Romolo Lanciani, Theo Williams, and Tom Dixon.