SKU: 56410149718

ETTORE SOTTSASS TABLE LAMPS FOR BITOSSI

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Description

ETTORE SOTTSASS TABLE LAMPS FOR BITOSSIA beautiful pair of cadmium yellow table lamps with yellow dark gray volcanic surface decor and black, cloth shades. Designed in the mid to late 1950s by famed Italian architect and industrial designer Ettore Sottsass and produced by BITOSSI CERAMICHE of Montelupo Fiorentino, Italy. Probably imported into the US by Raymor. ETTORE SOTTSASS was born in Innsbruck in 1917 and grew up in Turin in northern Italy, where his father (also Ettore) worked as an

A beautiful pair of cadmium yellow table lamps with yellow/dark-gray volcanic surface decor and black, cloth shades.  Designed in the mid to late 1950s by famed Italian architect and industrial designer Ettore Sottsass and produced by BITOSSI CERAMICHE of Montelupo Fiorentino, Italy.  Probably imported into the US by Raymor.

ETTORE SOTTSASS was born in Innsbruck in 1917 and grew up in Turin in northern Italy, where his father (also Ettore) worked as an architect.  Sottsass attended the prestigious Politecnico di Torino, and graduated in 1939 with a degree in architecture.  He then dutifully joined the Italian military.  When Italy surrendered to the Allies in 1943, hundreds of thousands of Italian troops were captured by the Germans, Sottsass among them.  He spent the rest of the war in a labor camp in Sarajevo.  Upon his return home, Sottsass worked for a few years in Turin with his father, often on new, modernist versions of buildings that had been destroyed during the war.  In 1947 he set up his own architectural and industrial design studio in Milan.  There he began to explore a variety of media:  ceramics, painting, sculpture, furniture, photography, jewelry, architecture, and interior design.  In 1956 Sottsass had a brief stint working with industrial designer George Nelson, initially in Nelson's New York City offices.  During this time, his focus shifted away from architecture and toward design.

Returning to Italy in 1957, he took a job as an art director with the design company Poltronova, a semi-industrial producer of contemporary furniture.  The following year he signed on as a consultant in the electronics division of Olivetti, the Italian typewriter manufacturer.  Its founder Adriano Olivetti hired Sottsass to work alongside his son, Roberto.  Sottsass made a name for himself as a designer at Olivetti, where he managed to bring office equipment into the realm of popular culture.  Sottsass, Roberto Olivetti, and Mario Tchou won the prestigious 1960 Compasso d’Oro prize for the design of the 'Elea 9003,' the first Italian mainframe computer.  His work for Olivetti reached a climax in 1969 when he collaborated with Perry King on the 'Valentine' typewriter—today considered a milestone in 20th century design.  Compared with the drab typewriters of the day, the bright red plastic portable 'Valentine' was as much a design statement as an office machine, and it became something of a fashion accessory.  Meanwhile at Poltronova, Sottsass developed a range of objects that were expressive of his personal travels in the US and India.  These included large, altar-like ceramic sculptures and his 'Superboxes'—massive case pieces meant to hold all of one’s belongings and to reside in the middle of a room.  Covered in boldly colorful custom laminates, they anticipated Sottsass's work with the Memphis Group.

Sottsass spent the 1960s and '70s playing with radical forms and materials—reimagining the very concept of functionality.  These years were marked by experimental collaborations with young design collectives such as Superstudio and Archizoom Associati and culminated in the founding of the Memphis Group in December 1980.  (The group took its name from a Bob Dylan song that happened to be playing during its first meeting, "Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again.")  Memphis was launched with a 40-piece collection of postmodern furniture, ceramics, lighting, glass, and textiles that featured fluorescent colors, slick surfaces, intentionally lop-sided shapes, and squiggly patterns in laminate.  Other founding members were Aldo Cibic, Marco Marabelli, Matteo Thun, and Marco Zanin; Johanna Grawunder, Marco Susani, and Mike Ryan joined later.  The group was active through 1988 and attracted worldwide attention with its energy and flamboyance.

Concurrent with the Memphis Group, Sottsass began assembling a major design consultancy, Sottsass Associati.  Its studio gave him a platform from which to launch architectural and design projects of a substantial scale for such large international companies as Apple, Phillips, Siemens, Zanotta, Fiat, and Alessi.  Its work was generally conducted by young associates, who often left to open their own studios.  Sottsass Associati, now based in London and Milan, continues to operate.  In 2006 the L.A. County Museum of Art held the first major museum survey exhibition of Sottsass's work in the US.  Retrospectives have since been mounted in London (2007), Maastricht (2009), and, on the occasion of his 100th birthday, in New York City (2017).

BITOSSI CERAMICHE was established in 1921 as Manifattura Ceramica Cav. Guido Bitossi & Figli by Guido Bitossi in Montelupo Fiorentino in Tuscany—a region with an ancient tradition of ceramics a few kilometers from Florence.  The Bitossi family, documented in the area as early as 1536, had for centuries worked there as sculptors, painters, but especially as potters.  In the twentieth century, under Guido's leadership, they would introduce an extraordinary stylistic and formal renewal of their craft.

In the late 1940s master ceramist Aldo Londi (1911-2003) was named BITOSSI CERAMICHE's creative director.  He held the position for more than 50 years and would design over 1,000 objects for the company.  Himself a Montelupo native, Londi brought to BITOSSI a deep expertise in the traditional production of ceramics.  Nevertheless he keenly appreciated the streamlined forms of the mid-century moment.  He is best known for his 'Rimini Blu' collection (1955-1965), an iconic series comprised of over 150 designs—bowls, vases, jugs, and animal figurines—all glazed in a vibrant azure hue and embossed with abstract motifs and shapes.  It helped to bring expressive, hand-crafted work into the modernist design conversation in Italy.  Londi’s last solo collection, 'ARKitectura,' stands somewhat apart from his earlier work and features elegantly minimalistic animal figures glazed in monochromatic black, white, or platinum.  Both collections are still in production today and widely collected by enthusiasts.

During Londi's tenure, BITOSSI collaborated successfully with a host of famous designers, including the legendary architect-designer Ettore Sottsass.  An avatar of 1960s counter-culture, Sottsass thought design should be provocative and sensual, and his avant-garde style blended well with BITOSSI’s mid-century aesthetic.  Besides Sottsass, BITOSSI partnered with designers Piero Fornasetti, Karim Rashid, Arik Levy, Fabio Novembre, Benjamin Hubert, Matteo Thun, Monica Förster, and Cédric Ragot.

Today BITOSSI CERAMICHE is justly considered an institution.  The Bitossi family and its foundation have amassed an archive of over 7,000 historical documents and materials in relation to the production of ceramics.  The assemblage is housed in the Bitossi Artistic Industrial Museum in Montelupo.  In 2014, BITOSSI became an official member of the Registry of Italian Historical Companies, appointed by the Italian National Union of Chambers of Commerce.

I try and be as stupid as possible regarding my profession, which means I try to look at as few design magazines as possible. – ETTORE SOTTSASS

Design Period – 1950-1959

Country of Origin – ITALY

Designer – ETTORE SOTTSASS (1917-2007)

Maker – BITOSSI CERAMICHE

Attribution – WELL-KNOWN

Materials – CERAMIC

Condition – VERY GOOD (no defects; may show slight traces of use)

Plug – N. AMERICAN

Height (in.) – 29.0

Diameter (in.) – 15.09

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SKU: 56410149718

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Flamingo
Lexington, US
★★★★★ 5
Love this Wine Opener!
Color: Silver
I purchased this wine opener 10 years ago and it has worked excellent. Very easy to use and attractive. It's starting to act up a bit now, becoming a little sporadic in it's powering up. I am ordering same one again. An excellent product and value!
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Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2026
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Momof2
West Palm Beach, US
★★★★★ 5
WOW factor for your guests.
Color: Silver
Oster electric wine bottle opener that is silver in color is an awesome wine bottle opener that works as expected. There are so many electric wine bottle openers out there and trying to decide which electric bottle opener to purchase can be a challenge. Fortunately this is one of the best electric wine bottle openers out there and you will not be disappointed if you decide to make a purchase. It is no wonder that this is a number one best seller in the electric wine bottle opener category. Number ones are infamous for failing to live up to their hype. Luckily this electric opener merits to be number one and my best guess is that this electric opener will be in this position for a long time. The electric opener goes for $17.99. Shop around and you will not find a better value than this one. There are pricey electric openers that fail in what they do and as such there is no need of investing in such yet this is a viable solution. There is nothing much to say about this opener other than it is a cordless electric bottle opener that removes the cork in a matter of seconds. The haste in which it opens the bottles is simply amazing. You can open up to 2 wine bottles in a minute. It can open a number of bottles in a single charge and if that is not convenience then I don’t know what is. I am sure this is the kind of electric opener you will probably find in a busy bar or hotel. Efficiency and quality are the two words that best describe this electric opener. There is a foil cutter that removes seals first before removing the cork. The handle has a gentle grip which ensures that you will not have to keep positioning the electric opener. The design of the opener is also outstanding. It is very easy to use the electric opener. Just place it on top of the wine bottle in an upright position. Press the switch on the opener and the opener will start removing the cork. It will stop once the cork has been removed from the bottle. Then lift the opener away from the bottle, remove the stuck cork by pressing the upper part of the switch and the cork will be released and the party can begin. There is even no elbow grease required to operate the opener. Read the manual if you are confused about the operations but the bottom line is that the opener is very easy to operate and you shouldn’t be perturbed because you can’t use it. It is a time saver and a WOW factor for your guests.
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Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2015
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Tyler
Port Orchard, US
★★★★★ 5
Lasts Forever
Color: Silver
This thing worked for like 7 years before I replaced it out of pity when it started sounding like it was struggling. High quality, simple, looks good, and excellent value. Makes a great gift. 10/10
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Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2026
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R. G. Brizi
Grantham, US
★★★★★ 4
Good tool.
Color: Silver
I learned the hard way that this doesn't work with synthetic corks (at least mine doesn't), they tend to get stuck. Otherwise it is fairly reliable and mainly: simple to use.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2025
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igomesf
West Palm Beach, US
★★★★★ 5
A Game-Changer for Wine Lovers - Oster Cordless Electric Wine Bottle Opener
Color: Silver
The Oster Cordless Electric Wine Bottle Opener with Foil Cutter has completely transformed my wine-opening experience. As someone who enjoys wine regularly, this gadget has become an essential tool in my kitchen. The first thing I noticed was how sleek and modern the design is. The silver finish looks elegant and fits perfectly with my kitchen appliances. The built-in foil cutter is a fantastic addition—it effortlessly removes the foil from the bottle, saving me time and hassle. The electric opener itself is incredibly easy to use. Simply place it on top of the cork, press the button, and watch it smoothly remove the cork in seconds. It’s cordless and rechargeable, which makes it convenient to use anywhere, whether I’m in the kitchen, dining room, or even outdoors. The battery life is impressive, and it charges quickly via the included USB cable. One of the best features is how quiet and efficient it is. Unlike some electric openers that can be loud or struggle with certain corks, this one works flawlessly every time. It’s also compact and easy to store, taking up minimal space in my drawer. Cleaning is a breeze—just wipe it down with a damp cloth, and it’s ready for the next use. I’ve used it on multiple bottles, and it still performs like new. The only minor downside is that it might not work as well on very old or fragile corks, but for everyday use, it’s absolutely perfect. In conclusion, the Oster Cordless Electric Wine Bottle Opener is a must-have for anyone who loves wine. It’s stylish, efficient, and makes opening bottles a joy. I highly recommend it to both casual wine drinkers and enthusiasts alike.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2025

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