Parentesi Pendant Lamp by Achille Castiglioni for Flos

About This Piece

Vintage Design

Parentesi pendant lamp designed by Achille Castiglioni and Pio Manzù in the 1970s. This pendant lamp is produced by Flos.
This model can be adjusted in height, and stays at the desired height because of the tension in the wire. This Flos pendant lamp has a working dimmer and can also be turned on its axis to direct the lamp in the desired direction. The luminaire runs from ceiling to floor and only needs to be attached to the ceiling. A weight on the floor holds the adjustable metal wire taut. The lamp is made of black lacquered metal and has a plastic fitting with dimmer. The length of the cable is 250 cm.

Click here for full description Close description

* The cable of this item may be original and might need replacement, if not specified otherwise.

Creator	Achille Castiglioni
Manufacturer	Flos
Design Period	1970 to 1979
Production Period	1980 to 1989
Country of Manufacture	Italy
Identifying Marks	This piece has an attribution mark
Style	Vintage
Detailed Condition	Good — This vintage/antique item may have some wear such as scratches and other signs of ageing.
	The vendor has confirmed this piece is in working order.
Restoration and Damage Details	Patina consistent with age and use
Plug Type	European Plug (up to 250V)
Product Code	ID-1123592
Materials	Metal, Plastic, Lacquer
Color	Black
Height	58 cm 22.8 inch
Diameter	4.3 inch
Duties Notice	Import duty is not included in the prices you see online. You may have to pay import duties upon receipt of your order.

Shipping & Delivery

Ships from	Netherlands
Duties Notice	Import duty is not included in the prices you see online. You may have to pay import duties upon receipt of your order.
Returns	Returns accepted within two days of delivery, except for Made-to-order items

Sustainability

Carbon Neutral	For every purchase made, Pamono offsets 100% of estimated carbon emissions from global shipping.
Vintage	Choosing vintage and antique furniture reduces your carbon footprint by cutting down on waste and reduces demand for new materials and extends the life of the products we use.

Delivery Details

Delivery will be completed by a parcel service such as UPS, DHL, or FedEx.
You will receive a tracking number to monitor the status of your shipment.
Delivery will take place between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday.
A wooden crate may be used for intercontinental shipments for maximum protection.
Item will be left in its packaging after delivery.
A signature will be required upon delivery.

*Important Note

Please examine the packaging upon delivery. In the event that there are visible signs of damaged packaging, please indicate the problem on the Delivery Note, take pictures, and—if the item inside shows damages—contact us within 48 hours of delivery. A signed delivery receipt without notations regarding damaged packaging represents your acceptance of the completed order in perfect condition.

About the Maker

Flos

The roots of Italian lighting manufacturing company Flos can be traced to 1959. That is when Arturo Eisenkeil of Merano, Italy, began to look for new applications for a spray-on plastic coating he was importing from the United States. In the early 1960s, Eisenkeil had an auspicious meeting with two designer-entrepreneurs, Cesare Cassina (1909-1979) and Dino Gavina (1922-2007). Cassina was well versed in the vernacular of design, having founded his eponymous manufacturing company—often credited with introducing industrial design to Italy—along with his brother Umberto in 1927. Like Cassina, Gavina was also a design manufacturing impresario, having founded the Dino Gavina company in the 1950s and its subsidiary Gavina SpA in 1960. The three came together to launch Flos in Merano, Italy in 1962.

Flos’s mission was to revolutionize the lighting industry by exploiting new materials, starting with Eisenkeil’s “cocoon floss” polyamide. In the early years of Flos, design was overseen first by Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, followed by his brother Achille and Tobia Scarpa, and then Scarpa’s wife, Afra. The resulting products were intriguingly futuristic looking, such as the Castiglionis’ Viscontea Lamp (1960), Taraxacum Chandelier (1960), and Gato Table Light (1960), as well as the Scarpas’ Fantasma Floor Lamp (1960s). The effect of the cocoon allowed for a soft, ambient glow.

Other signature Flos pieces include the classic Arco Lamp (1962) by the Castiglioni brothers; the Parentesi Lamp (1971) by Achille Castiglioni and Pio Manzu, which was the first piece in the Flos collection to receive the Compasso d’Oro Award in 1979; the shaded Romeo Moon Table Lamp (1995) and Archimoon Soft Task Lamp (1998) by Philippe Starck; the portable work light May Day (1999) by Konstantin Grcic; and the opal glass Glo-Ball collection (1999) by Jasper Morrison. Other Flos collaborators include Michael Anastassiades, Barber Osgerby, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, Antonio Citterio, Ron Gilad, Marco Pezzolo, Paolo Rizzatto, Marc Sadler, Patricia Urquiola, Marcel Wanders, and Sebastian Wrong.

In 1964, the company moved to Brescia under the direction of Sergio Gandini. In the 1970s, Flos bought Arteluce, a well-known lighting manufacturer formerly led by Gino Sarfatti. In 1999, Gandini passed away, leaving Flos to his son Piero. In 2005, Flos acquired the Spanish architectural lighting brand Antares. In 2014, a significant portion of the company was sold to Investindustrial, which continues to support CEO Piero Gandini and Flos. Today, Flos offers a range of residential, commercial, and custom-made lighting products.

An ongoing dedication to innovation has ensured Flos a place in design history. Additionally, the brand continues to reap accolades for its collaborative legacy, working with iconic, award-winning designers. Flos designs can be found in museums around the world, including the permanent collection of the MoMA in New York and the Triennale Design Museum in Milan.