Peppe de Giuli for Sirrah Rare 'Mercurio' Table Lamp

Peppe de Giuli for Sirrah, 'Mercurio' table lamp, lacquered aluminum and steel, chrome-plated metal, Italy, design 1971

Designed in 1971 for the Italian lighting manufacturer Sirrah, Peppe De Giuli’s ‘Mercurio’ table lamp explores the relationship between light, reflection and sculptural form. Founded in Imola in 1968, Sirrah established itself through collaborations with prominent architects and designers, combining innovative lighting concepts with a high level of craftsmanship. The ‘Mercurio’ reflects the experimental spirit of Italian design in the early 1970s, when technological developments and a fascination with futuristic forms encouraged designers to reconsider the traditional appearance and function of everyday objects. Rather than relying on a conventional lampshade, De Giuli transformed the reflective properties of metal into the defining feature of the design, creating a lighting object that occupies the boundary between functional illumination and sculpture.

The lamp consists of an elongated, white-lacquered cast aluminium base, terminating in two conical housings connected by a slender, red-painted steel arch. At its center, a highly polished, chrome-plated sphere appears to float effortlessly above the base, evoking a celestial body suspended in space: Mercurius. Two concealed halogen light sources direct their beams towards the mirrored sphere, which reflects and redistributes the light into its surroundings.