The lighting maker Arteluce was one of the companies at the heart of the creative explosion in postwar Italian design. The firm’s founder and guiding spirit, Gino Sarfatti (1912–85), was an incessant technical and stylistic innovator who almost single-handedly reinvented the chandelier as a modernist lighting form.
Sarfatti attended the University of Genoa to study aeronautical engineering but was forced to drop out when his father’s company went out of business. His mechanical instincts led him to turn his attention to lighting design — and he founded Arteluce as a small workshop in Milan in 1939. Sarfatti’s father was a Jew, so the family fled to Switzerland in 1943, but after the war — largely thanks to Sarfatti’s insistence on efficiency of design and manufacture — Arteluce quickly established itself as a top firm.
Though Sarfatti continued as chief designer through the 1950s and ’60s, he also enlisted other designers such as Franco Albini and Massimo Vignelli to contribute work. Sarfatti sold Arteluce to FLOS — a rival Italian lighting maker — in 1973 and retired to pursue a more traditional avocation: collecting and dealing rare postage stamps.
Sarfatti is regarded by many collectors as a pioneer of minimalist design. He pared down his lighting works to their essentials, focusing on practical aspects such as flexibility of use. His most famous light, the 2097 chandelier, is a brilliant example of reductive modernist design, featuring a central cylinder from which branches numerous supporting fixtures extending like spokes on a wheel.
Similarly, Sarfatti's 566 table lamp is a simple canister, able to be raised or lowered on a stem, holding a half-chrome bulb. Despite the marked functionality of his designs, Sarfatti did have a sprightly side: His 534 table lamp, with its cluster of rounded enameled shades, resembles a vase full of flowers, the Sputnik chandelier (model 2003) was inspired by fireworks and the brightly colored plastic disks of the 2072 chandelier look like lollipops. No matter the style, Sarfatti concentrated first and foremost on the character of light created — and any Arteluce lamp is a modernist masterpiece.
Find vintage Arteluce table lamps, chandeliers, floor lamps and other lighting on 1stDibs.
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Wall Sconces Atena Arteluce, 1980 Glass
By Arteluce
Located in Palermo, Sicily
Wall sconces Atena Arteluce, 1980.
Metal
Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce Wall Lamp Mod. 238/1, Italy 1960s
By Gino Sarfatti, Arteluce
Located in Naples, IT
Wall light modello 238/1, disegnata da Gino Sarfatti, con struttura in metallo laccato nero e diffusore a sfera in vetro opalino soffiato. Gino Sarfatti (1912-1985) played a key rol...
Metal
Set of 7 "Jill" ceiling lights for Arteluce, 1978
By Santiago Miranda and Jian Luigi Arnaldi , Arteluce, Perry King and Santiago Miranda
Located in modena, Emilia-Romagna
Set of Seven Jill Ceiling Lights by Perry King, Santiago Miranda and Gianluigi Arnaldifor Arteluce. The design is clearly a postmodern nod to the Art Deco period of the 1920s. In ful...
Aluminum
Gino Sarfatti Rare Model 35 Wall Lamp for Arteluce, Italy 1958
By Gino Sarfatti, Arteluce
Located in Milan, IT
Gino Sarfatti Rare Model 35 Wall Lamp for Arteluce, Italy 1958 Have parts of the original label attached Original European wiring would need rewiring for the U.S.
Aluminum, Brass
Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce Model 237/2 Wall Lamp, Italy 1960s
By Arteluce, Gino Sarfatti
Located in Naples, IT
Rare and Original two pair of vintage wall sconces, model 237/2 by Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce, Milan. Italy, 1960 Two spherical diffusers with clear glass, resting on black lacquered...
Metal
Model 237-3 wall lamp by Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce, Italy 1950's
By Arteluce, Gino Sarfatti
Located in Steenwijk, NL
This amazing wall sconce was designed by Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce in the 1950's. It has an elegant black lacquered metal frame that holds 3 transparent glass globes. With the right...
Metal
Set of 4 Light Ball table, ceiling and wall lamp by Castiglioni, Flos
By Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, Flos, Arteluce
Located in Argelato, BO
Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, set of 4 table, ceiling and wall lamps Light Ball, Italy, 1965 Created by the now legendary pair of brothers and Italian designers, the Castiglionis design a series of diffused light lamps using a simple white opaline sphere of industrial production, which reinterprets a low-cost object commonly used in the domestic environment. A polished brass metal frame houses...
Brass
$4,957 / set
Gino Sarfatti 142 wall lamps Arteluce Italy 1958
By Gino Sarfatti, Arteluce
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
Pair of rare large model 142 wall or ceiling lamps, designed by Gino Sarfatti and manufactured by Arteluce in Italy, 1958. These striking lights reflect Sarfatti’s continuous explora...
Aluminum
Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce Wall Light
By Gino Sarfatti, Arteluce
Located in Red Lion, PA
Gino Sarfatti adjustable wall lamp, model 194/N Arteluce Italy, 1950 enameled aluminum, chrome-plated steel Decal manufacturer's label to interior of shade ‘AL Milano Arteluce’. No...
Metal, Aluminum, Steel, Chrome
Pair of Jill Wall Sconces in Frosted Glass and Steel by Arteluce, 1970s.
By Arteluce
Located in IT
Set of 2 white Jill wall sconces by King & Miranda for Areluce, 1970s. The sconces feature a metal structure with frosted white glass lamp holders. The logo is visible on the arm of ...
Steel
$1,749 / item
Arteluce N 8 Sconces Glass Metal 1980 italy
By Arteluce
Located in Milano, IT
Arteluce Appliques 1980
Glass
Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce Mod. 113/5 Light Wall Bracket
By Gino Sarfatti, Arteluce
Located in Hanover, MA
Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce 5-light wall mounted sconce, Model 113/5 (1946-1948); a series of five Model 10 white lacquered aluminum reflector shades connected by bronze patinated brass swivel joints to a 23 inch length of white lacquered "half circle" brass (Arteluce's words). I would describe it as a bisected 1.5 inch brass tube. Original Arteluce...
Aluminum, Brass
SARFATTI Gino - ARTELUCE -Pair of brass wall or floor sconces
By Gino Sarfatti, Arteluce
Located in Milano, IT
A very rare pair of wall sconces built in brass by the ARTELUCE company and designed by Italian entrepreneur and designer ,GINO SARFATTI in the late 1930s . The pair of sconces is in...
Brass
White Metal, Glass 1960 Mod. 238/2 Sconce by Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce
By Gino Sarfatti, Arteluce
Located in Varese, Lombardia
238/2 sconce by Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce. White painted metal structures with internal sandblasted glass shades. Fair/good condition: the metal structures show visible signs of oxi...
Metal
20th Century Gino Sarfatti Set of 4 Wall Lamps Mod. 36 for Arteluce, 1950s
By Arteluce, Gino Sarfatti
Located in Torino, Piemonte
Gino Sarfatti was an Italian designer and businessman born in 1912 in Venice. After studying aeronaval engineering in Genova, he founded the Arteluce company in 1939 in Milan. Its pu...
Metal, Brass
White Metal 5-Lights Wall Lamp Mod. 50 by Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce, '68
By Gino Sarfatti, Arteluce
Located in Varese, Lombardia
This wall lamp was designed by Gino Sarfatti in 1968 for bath mirror and it belongs to the early production. The simplicity of its design and its rarity al...
Metal
Gino Sarfatti Large Wall Lamp model 225, Arteluce Italy 1957
By Gino Sarfatti, Arteluce
Located in Den Haag, NL
Gino Sarfatti Large Wall Lamp model 225, Arteluce Italy 1957
Aluminum, Brass
Pair of Wall Lamps Model 50 by Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce, 1968
By Gino Sarfatti, Arteluce
Located in Rotterdam, NL
Two off-white lacquered wall lamps Model 50 by Gino Sarfatti for Italian lighting manufacturer Arteluce. Marco Romanelli and Sandra Severi describe this wall lamp in 'Gino Sarfatti,...
Aluminum
Model 42 Wall Lamp in Brass by Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce, Italy 1960
By Gino Sarfatti, Arteluce
Located in London, London
1960s wall lamp designed by Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce, model 42, featuring an adjustable cylindrical reflector in lacquered aluminium with a polished brass arm and black lacquered b...
Aluminum, Brass
Model 50 Wall Lamp by Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce, 1968
By Arteluce, Gino Sarfatti
Located in Rotterdam, NL
Off-white lacquered Model 50 wall lamp by Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce, designed in 1968 and manufactured in the 1970s. Marco Romanelli and Sandra Severi describe the wall lamp in '...
Metal
nice pair of vittoriano vigano wall sconces for arteluce
By Vittoriano Vigano, Arteluce
Located in Munich, DE
rare matching pair of signed arteluce sconces.
Metal, Brass
20th Century Italian 265 Wall Lamp by Paolo Rizzato for Arteluce
By Arteluce, Paolo Rizzatto
Located in BE
XL Paolo Rizzatto 265 wall lamp. Spectacular wall lamp by Paolo Rizzato, designed in the 1970s for the famous factory Arteluce. Paolo called this m...
Steel
Italian Wall Scone by Vittoriano Vigano for Arteluce
By Vittoriano Vigano, Arteluce
Located in Munich, DE
Wonderful Visor wall light by Vittoriano Vigano for Arteluce.
Metal, Brass
Gino Sarfatti Set of Two Black Wall Lamps 238/2 by Arteluce 1960s
By Arteluce, Gino Sarfatti
Located in Cascina, Pisa
Set of two wall lamps model 238/2 with supports in black lacquered metal, lampshades in blown glass, and black enameled aluminum, designed by Gino Sarfatti and produced by Arteluce d...
Metal, Aluminum
$7,582 / set
Gino Sarfatti 228 wall lamps Arteluce Italy 1957
By Arteluce, Gino Sarfatti
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
Rare pair of model 228 wall lamps designed by Gino Sarfatti and manufactured by Arteluce in Italy in 1957. This extraordinary green colour reminds us of the flourishing Alfa Romeo Giulietta from the same year, whizzing across the Italian countryside. It’s these colour memories where we fell in love with and cherish. It could be Sarfatti once saw a car passing by and was struck by its vivid colour. These lamps have a minimalistic but strong and iconic design. The slight frosted glass diffuser sits in a metal ring. The socket is held by a metal cylinder with metal screws that are visible. The ring is attached to the wall plate. In very good original condition and rewired. Kindly note that the listed price is for the pair of 2 lamps. Literature; M. Romanelli, S. Severi, Gino Sarfatti opere scelte 1938; 1973 Silvana Editore 2012, page 447 and Arteluce vintage...
Metal
Wall lamp mod. ''262'' by Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce, 1960s
By Gino Sarfatti, Arteluce
Located in Quarrata, IT
Wall lamp mod. ''262'' by Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce, 1960s.
Steel
$51,912 / item
Gino Sarfatti model 169/4 wall lamp Arteluce Italy 1952
By Arteluce, Gino Sarfatti
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
Impressive wall lamp model 169/4 designed by Gino Sarfatti and manufactured by Arteluce, Italy 1952. This large sized wall lamp comes from a series of wall lamps designed by Gino Sar...
Aluminum, Chrome
228 Wall lamp by Sarfatti for Arteluce
By Gino Sarfatti, Arteluce
Located in Milano, IT
228 wall lamp designed by Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce, one of the most renowned Italian lighting manufacturers. Produced in the 1950s, this stunning piece features a sleek and moderni...
Aluminum
Gino Sarfatti wall lamp model 3 Arteluce Italy 1950
By Arteluce, Gino Sarfatti
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
Rare Model 3 wall lamp designed by Gino Sarfatti and manufactured by Arteluce Italy 1950. This wall lamp by Gino Sarfatti is super rare, and you hardly ever find it for sale. It's go...
Metal, Aluminum, Chrome
Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce, Pair of Model 225 White Wall Lights, 1957
By Gino Sarfatti, Arteluce
Located in Wargrave, Berkshire
Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce, a pair of wall lights, model 225 designed in 1957. Each stationary white lacquered aluminium reflector is supported by a brass rectangular wall mount 35...
Aluminum, Brass
Gino Sarfatti Wall/Table Lamp Model 7 Arteluce, 1957
By Gino Sarfatti, Arteluce
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
Rare wall/table lamp version of model 7 designed by Gino Sarfatti, manufactured by Arteluce, Italy 1957. I have never seen this fairly unique version before. T...
Aluminum, Metal
$10,500 / set
Gino Sarfatti Sconces for Arteluce, 1952, Set of 2
By Gino Sarfatti, Arteluce
Located in Lonigo, Veneto
Gino Sarfatti sconces for Arteluce, brass and glass, Italy, 1952, set of two This chic set of four wall lamps by Gino Sarfatti, designed in 1952 for Arteluce, showcases masterful cr...
Brass
Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce, Rare Early Triple Wall Light, circa 1940
By Gino Sarfatti, Arteluce
Located in Wargrave, Berkshire
Rare early triple wall light by Sarfatti for Arteluce, as shown in a photograph advertising Arteluce's stand at the VII Triennale, Milano in Domus issue #149, 1940 Three white paint...
Metal
Vittoriano Vigano wallsconce for Arteluce
By Vittoriano Vigano, Arteluce
Located in Munich, DE
nice wallsconce by arteluce - we can offer a few in various versions...
Metal, Brass
Rare double signed Arteluce wall sconce by Vittoriano Vigano
By Arteluce
Located in Munich, DE
very nice, double signed arteluce wall sconce. rare version.
Metal, Brass