Papillona Lamp by Tobia Scarpa for Flos, Italy, 1980s

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Description

The Papillona produced by Flos, is an iconic floor lamp designed in 1975 by Tobia Scarpa. Its essential and elegant … Read more The Papillona produced by Flos, is an iconic floor lamp designed in 1975 by Tobia Scarpa. Its essential and elegant style perfectly embodies the minimalist and innovative taste that characterized Italian design in the 1970s. The lamp consists of a long slender vertical stem ending in a diffuser shaped like an open butterfly, from which it gets its name "Papillona" (from the French "butterfly"). Painted aluminum frame with a glass top diffuser that allows soft, indirect light diffusion. It works with halogen bulbs and features a dimmer (foot switch) to adjust light intensity. Small and square, it provides stability without weighing down the overall design. Designed in 1975, the Papillona fits into the period when Flos, under the direction of Sergio Gandini, was experimenting with new technologies and materials for domestic lighting. - Tobia Scarpa, son of the famous architect Carlo Scarpa, has always had a design approach between craftsmanship and industrial innovation, and this lamp is a perfect expression of that. The two Flos lamps in the picture show two different versions of the dimming system: 1. The lamp on the left has a foot-operated dimmer, visible as a black circular control placed on the power cord. This system allows you to adjust the light intensity conveniently with your foot, without having to touch the lamp. 2. The lamp on the right, on the other hand, has a built-in adjustment wheel on the stem, just above the base. This means that the light intensity is adjusted directly from the structure of the lamp, rather than from an external control on the cable. This difference could be due to two different editions of the Papillona model. Over the years, Flos has made a number of variations, keeping the main design but changing technical details such as the dimming system. This piece is attributed to the mentioned designer/maker. It has no attribution mark and no
official proof of authenticity,
however it is well documented in design history. I take full responsibility for any authenticity



issues arising from misattribution,
Up to 250V (Europe/UK Standard).The wiring of this item may be original and might need replacement, if not specified otherwise. See less