Capodanno Table Lamp Designed by Ettore Sottsass for Studio Alchimia, 1979 No.71

Color as Voice, Material as Meaning. Step into a landmark moment in postmodern design with this Capodanno table lamp—an object that marks Ettore Sottsass’s decisive break from the austere functionalism of his Rationalist upbringing and his embrace of design as pure expression and symbol.

An Archetypal Gesture in Light and Form

At just 43 × 47 × 13 cm (17 1/4 × 18 1/2 × 5 1/8 in.), Capodanno is architecture reduced to its most elemental grammar: two brass cylinders (the “towers”) linked by a plain fluorescent rod (the “span”), all rising from a pedestal-like plinth. In Sottsass’s hands this becomes an archetype—evoking a city gate or even London’s Tower Bridge—yet the materials refuse to behave as architecture: the base wears a faux-stone laminate, the posts gleam in brass (structurally impossible at scale), and the beam remains gloriously mundane in its fluorescent banality  .

Color as Voice, Material as Meaning

Where Modernism preached “form follows function,” Capodanno proclaims “material speaks louder than form.” The red and blue glass globes perched atop each column read both Bauhaus and circus‑clown, oscillating between high design and playful irreverence. The stone‑patterned base elevates the lamp—literally like a pedestal—but undercuts that elevation by revealing its laminate artifice. This deliberate tension—between elevated form and cheap surface, between industrial standard and exotic color—is precisely what makes Capodanno a manifesto of Alchimia’s alchemical ethos: the whole exceeds the sum of its unlikely parts  .

A Pivotal Postmodern Artifact

Cast in a strictly limited edition (this example is No. 71), Capodanno sits at the very threshold of Sottsass’s work with Memphis and the broader Postmodern moment. It is simultaneously a lamp, an architectural model, a sculpture, and a stage set—an object that liberated design from utility alone and introduced narrative, irony, and symbolism into everyday life.

Provenance, Condition, & Inclusions

• Condition: Very good.
• Inclusions: Comes complete with a set of vintage replacement bulbs, faithfully reproducing the original color temperature.
• Dimensions: 43 × 47 × 13 cm (17 1/4 × 18 1/2 × 5 1/8 in.)

This design is recognized by the world’s leading institutions:

• The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York  
• Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (Dennis Freedman Collection)
• Museum Boijmans van Beuningen Rotterdam 

Own a singular milestone in design history: a lamp that laid the foundations for Postmodernism itself, now ready to illuminate your collection.

Colors may slightly vary due to photographic lighting sources or your monitor settings. 

Wear consistent with age and use.

We ship worldwide. Request a shipping quote by e-mail to tacojoustra@vintageobjects.com mentioning the piece you are interested in.

The light sculpture will be shipped insured overseas in a custom made wooden crate. Cost of insured transport to the US is Euro 625 crate included when we organise the shipment which we highly recommend.

We are a 1stDibs Platinum dealer.