THE PERSEO LAMPS
"Perseus was a hero of Greek mythology. He killed the Gorgon Medusa, founded Mycenae and married
Andromeda after having rescued her from a sea monster.
Associations of the mind may sometimes transcend pure logic, and so a heroic life deserves to be remembered."
Michele De Lucchi
The Perseo lamp was designed by Michele De Lucchi in 2007.
The diffuser is a rigid glass body that recalls the fragile consistency of Japanese paper lanterns.
Its shape and the facets on the surface evoke the sculptural tastes of Isamu Noguchi and his research on the tradition as a desire to recreate an authentic and delicate world.
The decision to create the blown glass diffuser according to ancient traditions is consistent with the motto of Produzione Privata to encourage and enhance Italian craftsmanship.
This glass object captures well the charming and soulful atmosphere of the traditional italian glassworks. It brings out the preciousness of a material that originates from humble silicon sand.
For many years now the Perseo lamps are produced by the Italian master glassblower Riccardo Corsi in Empoli.
We went there to follow, record and share with you the the process of glass-blowing of the Perseo lamps.
It all starts at 4:00 AM at the furnace. The raw materials are molten into malleable hot glass.
When the temperature and cooking on the glass is optimal the glassblowers scoop it up with the blowing rod.
It takes a lot of skill and a lifetime of practice to scoop up the exact amount needed for each specific object without wasting the precious glass.
The craftsmen twist their poles to avoid the glass from falling.
The glass is rolled multiple times until it reaches the desired and necessary shape for the blowing stage.
A coworker prepares the underground level where the casts are held in order to be able to blow the glass from directly above.
This is a close-up of the wooden mould of the Perseo lamp.
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Here you can see the delicate process of the glassblowers lowering the molten glass into mould pit.
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Here you can see the difficulty of making sure that the glass makes it into the tiny opening of the mould without touching it. It requires a lot of teamwork and understanding from the glassblowers above and the coworker handling the mould.
Once the glass was blown into shape the specimen is extracted to cool and the rolling onto a metal slab facilitates the weakening of the stem where it will have to be cut.
If everything the examination for flaws is passed the glass is cut (a very rough cut) in the designated area with special tweezers.
Then the glass is reheated in a high temperature oven and subsequently cooled for an extended period of time before it can be cut properly.
As you can see in the picture glass, hot glass cannot be cut cleanly, it is imperative for it to cool at least a day.
Perseo suspension lamps, Perseo Stelo, Perseo Lettura
After cabling, sometimes sanding, a rigurous testing and quality control process the lamps are ready to ship. The Perseo lamps are available as Pendant, Table and Floor lamp.
We hope you enjoyed our story as much as we did making it!
PHOTO CREDITS
Michele De Lucchi
Luca Tamburlini / Polifemo fotografia (still lifes on white background)
Federica Framba (production photos)
IMAGES COURTESY
aMDL Michele De Lucchi's Archive