Lamps in the movies
The Art Of The Steal (2013)
A Birillo floor lamp was used as a prop in the 2013 Canadian comedy film The Art Of The Steal. Starring Kurt Russell, Jay Baruchel and Katheryn Winnick. Also lamps made by the Canadian Rougier, Reggiani, FLOS, Quality System and Raak appear in this film.
Into The Labyrinth (2019)
An AV Mazzega LT 220 floor lamp was used as a prop in the 2019 Italian thriller film Into The Labyrinth. Starring Dustin Hoffman,Toni Servillo and Valentina Bellè. In this scene together with a Medusa floor lamp designed by Olaf Von Bohr and produced by Valenti.
Many thanks to Koen for the help and picture of the Massive label. You can find his Instagram account over here.
White Birillo Floor Lamp
Materials: 2 white opal hand blown crystal glass parts. A flattened glass base, globe in bulb style on top. 2 connected chromed metal (iron) rings. 6 chrome ornamental screws. Brass rod and nuts. Two Bakelite sockets.
Height: 102 cm / 40.15”
Width: ∅ 34 cm / 13.38”
Electricity: 2 bulbs E27, 2 x 60 watt maximum, 110/220 volt.
Any type of light bulb can be used, but a white/opaque or frosted one is preferred.
Period: 1970s, 1980s – Mid-Century Modern.
Designer: To be appraised.
Manufacturer: Massive, Mortsel, Belgium.
Other versions: This white Birillo floor lamp exists in several sizes. Many variations were produced.
Birillo: Italian word for cone.
Always said it is a lamp designed by Carlo Nason and made by AV Mazzega. It is not true.
Some sources say that it’s Sergio Mazzega who designed this lamp for Vistosi, but those are false assumptions.
Birillo: Italian word for bowling pin or cone.
Editions exists were the top and bottom illuminate independently or both together using the floor foot switch. Most of them do.
Always attributed to AV Mazzega, because sometimes you find these lamps with an AV Mazzega label. An e-mail to the company AV Mazzega (Mazzega1946) yielded no results. Furthermore, the son of Carlo Nason said that these lamps are not a design by his father.
Massive
Massive was in origin a bronze foundry and they produced mainly candlesticks, crucifixes and chandeliers in Wilrijk near Antwerp, Belgium. The company was founded in 1926 by Pieter-Jozef De Jaeck. His son Eddy De Jaeck was responsible for the huge expansion of the company in the 1970s. But it were his sons, Piet and Jan De Jaeck who made Massive a true multinational. Thus, they moved production to Eastern Europe and China.
In the 1980s Massive became the leading brand in Europe. In 2002, the brothers left the company to the investment fund CVC Capital Partners, for allegedly more than 250 million euros. Since 2008 the company is owned by Philips and the name of the shops is changed into Light Gallery.
When the takeover by Philips was announced in November 2006 Massive commercialised more than 10.000 lighting products under brand names such as Massive, TRIO and Lirio. The group had about 5.000 employees worldwide and was active in 70 countries.
Massive sold many lamps made by others. Peill + Putzler from Germany and Yamada Shomei from Japan produced lamps for Massive, to name a few. Many other lighting companies did.
A huge collection, somewhere in Belgium
White Birillo Floor Lamp – Massive Belgium Label
