Stilnovo Periscopio Table Lamp 

Materials: Round cast iron base, painted with black wrinkle paint. 2 black painted aluminium tubes. Metal joint. Black rubber flexible. Bakelite B22 socket.

Height: 28 cm / 11.02”

Width: 24,5 cm / 9.64”

Base: ∅ 12 cm / 4.72”

Electricity: 1 bulb B22, 1 x 75 watt maximum, 110/220 volt.
Any type of light bulb can be used, but a Cornalux bulb is preferred. 

Period: 1960s, 1970s, 1980s – Mid-Century Modern.

Designers: Danilo Aroldi & Corrado Aroldi in 1967.

Manufacturer: Stilnovo, Milan, Italy.

Other versions: The Stilnovo Periscopio table lamp exists in many variations and colours: several table lamps, a clamp lamp and a floor lamp. They were produced for many years. Today new editions are in production.

Danilo Aroldi

Danilo Aroldi (1925-1988) was born in Casalmaggiore, in between Milan and Bologna in the north of Italy. The town is famous for its international music festival. In 1936, after leaving his hometown, Danilo Aroldi moved with his family to Milan where he attended the Liceo Classico Statale Giosuè Carducci (Giosuè Carducci State Classical High School) and later the Accademia di Brera, also in Milan.

At the academy he meets the masters Aldo Carpi, Carlo Carrà and Achille Funi. His classmates were Dario Fo, Amilcare Rambelli and Gianni Dova.

Together with his brother Corrado he founded the studio Danilo e Corrado Aroldi – Architettura e Industrial Design in the early 1960s. 

For Stilnovo the studio designed also the Spicchio lamp series. They also designed lamps for Luci. Their designs are now included in the permanent collections of the MoMA in New York and the Triennale di Milano, or selected for the Compasso d’Oro. 

At the beginning of the eighties Danilo rejoined the painting. Between 1983 and 1988 he made a corpus of about three hundred works, deeply coherent and characterised by constant research. Danilo Aroldi died in Milan in 1988. 

Corrado Aroldi

Corrado Aroldi was born in 1936. He is the younger brother of Danilo. He works in Milan in architecture and industrial design. His works were selected for the Compasso d’Oro in 1979 and 1991.

His works have been shown in design exhibits around the world. He has been jury member at national and international design competitions. Also board member of the ADI (Associazione per il Disegno Industriale – Association for Industrial Design) from 1985 to 1988.

Stilnovo

Founded in Milan in 1946 by Bruno Gatta, Stilnovo was one of the most important lighting company’s of Italy in the post World War II industry.
Stilnovo worked with a large number of leading designers, including Gaetano Sciolari, Joe Colombo, Gae Aulenti, Alberto Fraser, Ettore Sottsass, Danilo & Corrado Aroldi, Cini Boeri, Jonathan De Pas, Donato D’Urbino, Paolo Lomazzi, Antonio Macchi Cassia, Roberto Beretta and so on. The company ended business in 1988.

All Stilnovo lamps are marked with the Stilnovo name; many early pieces also include the original sticker “Stilnovo Milan”.

The new Stilnovo

The company is long gone but today “The Stilnovo Scientific Committee” is formed. The members are: Decio G.R. Carugati, Roberto Fiorato, Francesco Morace, Danilo Premoli, Franco Pagliarini and Andrea Cucci. The company is named: Stilnovo Italia Srl.

Text from the new Stilnovo website:

“In order to pick up the traces of Stilnovo and bring them into the future a Scientific Committee was formed. The team has already produced a Manifest with its definition of guidelines and necessary criteria for future creations. With indications for ideas about the identity of a brand name which does not ignore its historical past: on the contrary, it is exalted.

The recreation of important iconic pieces and the use of new stimuli of Italian and international design in order to create completely new pieces represent just some of the plans for Stilnovo, which in themselves will bring new stimuli and lively collaboration among craftsmen and planners in order to guarantee as always 100% Made in Italy products.”

VLM Components

All the electric parts were made by VLM Components. The company was founded in 1945 in Buccinasco, a small village near Milan, Italy. The company became famous for the switches they produce since 1968, designed by Achille Castiglioni. You can find them over here.

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.

Cornalux 

The Cornalux or Hammerhead light bulb was designed for the Tito Agnoli lamp model 387 in 1954, made by Oluce. Joe Colombo re-used it for his Spider lamp series in 1965. These light bulbs are still available online. An alternative was also created by Oluce. Founded in 1945, Oluce is the oldest Italian design company in the illumination sector still in operation today.