Angelo Brotto for Esperia Floorlamp in Red Lacquered Metal, Perspex and Brass

Angelo Brotto for Esperia, floor lamp, brass, lacquered metal, perspex, Italy, circa 1960

This sculptural floor lamp by Angelo Brotto features a tall cylindrical column in red lacquered metal, supported by slender, splayed brass legs. Curved white perspex diffusers are arranged at varying heights around the column, paired with black metal details that give the design a lively, graphic rhythm.

When illuminated, the diffusers glow warmly, highlighting their curved surfaces and creating light in several directions. The bold colour and playful arrangement of geometric forms give the lamp a distinctive character, while its narrow proportions maintain an elegant silhouette. Standing 185 cm tall, it is an expressive example of Brotto’s imaginative lighting designs for Esperia.


Angelo Brotto (1914-2002) is a Venetian designer and artist renowned for his work with glass and for designing lighting objects. In 1941, he graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice. The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs immediately hired him to create frescoes in Montenegro. He produced works in Venice in the late 1940s for Peggy Guggenheim's collection. In the 1960s and 1970s, Brotto worked with the Murano glassmaker Esperia, and it was during this time that he flourished as a lighting designer. Particularly his lamps, which deviated from Murano's established glassmaking practices and captured the sensibility of the period while doing so, won immediate praise with its provocative and artistic modern compositions. He received numerous design and artistic honors throughout his career, including ones in Bergamo, Cremona, Suzzara, and Verona as well as at the inaugural Rome Exhibition of Engravings. He took part in various biennials, and a number of exhibits have included his works. Angelo Brotto passed away in 2002.