Nikolay Diulgheroff for Stilnovo Desk Lamp

Nikolay Diulgheroff for Stilnovo, table lamp, brass, enameled steel, Italy, 1950s

A table lamp by Nicolaj Diulgheroff (1901–1982), one of the distinctive figures of Italian Second Futurism. This lamp was produced by Stilnovo in the 1950s, based on a design concept that originated around 1938. For its later production, the original design was further developed and subtly modified, in keeping with the aesthetic of the 1950s.

It embodies many of the defining characteristics of Italian lighting design of the period, combining technical ingenuity with refined elegance. The adjustable ball-joint mechanism allows the direction of the light to be easily modified, while the softly contoured circular shade, finished in a warm beige-cream tone, lends the piece a subtle sculptural quality. Its slender brass framework completes the composition, giving the lamp a light, sophisticated, and distinctly Italian character.

Diulgheroff was born in Kyustendil, Bulgaria, in 1901. His path to Italy led him through the artistic avant-garde of the interwar years. After a brief period of study at the Bauhaus in 1923, he settled in Turin in 1926, having first encountered the city during his honeymoon. Turin proved to be a fertile environment for the young designer. Open to new ideas in art, architecture and design, the city brought him into close contact with the Futurist movement. Alongside his work as an architect and interior designer, Diulgheroff developed a strong graphic practice, producing posters and advertising designs, most notably for the Cora company, designing the offices located inside Palazzo Gualino by Giuseppe Pagano Pogatschnig & Gino Levi Montalcini.