First marketed in 1961, the Model 597 is the lamp that established Italian virtuoso Gianfranco Frattini as a lighting designer. Short and cylindrical in shape, it features multiple bulbs and eccentric bangs that conceal its functional versatility. Its unique, playful shape perfectly encapsulates Frattini's approach to the aesthetics of light.
The Model 597 lamp is back more than six decades after its first production run. If it occupies an important place in design history, it's not least because it brilliantly showcases Frattini's affinity for materials, functional orientation and ingenious construction.Â
The unique nylon bangs are inspired by both the fashion world and the fringed entrance curtains commonly found in Italian bars and grocery stores in the late 1950s. They are attached to a diabolo-shaped aluminum base, fitted with six side bulbs around the central core, with an additional bulb housed in a cavity at the top, which directs the light upwards. This creates a 360° light that spreads evenly between the bangs, as well as an upward light - enhanced by the reflection in the polished aluminum surface - that can be individually controlled using a two-button switch.
The bodies of both versions are constructed from aluminum plate, which is turned on a lathe and shaped on a mold. The table lamp is made in a single piece, while the floor lamp is composed of two pieces, which are fastened with three socket head cap screws. These are also used to secure the base plate and cover of both lamps, enabling them to be easily dismantled for repair or recycling.
Materials Polished Aluminium, nylon fringes
Table lamp Ø26 x H29 cm, Cord 210 cm
Floor lamp Ø42 x H45 cm, Cord 210 cm
Table lamp
Floor lamp
Gianfranco Frattini
From doorknobs and jewelry to homes and hotels, Gianfranco Frattini has left an indelible mark on modern Italian design over his 50-year career. Experienced in creating interiors for public spaces such as restaurants and nightclubs, he appreciated the importance of modulating light to create nuances in an interior - forming areas that are both functional and warm, with a subtle radiance that contributes to the atmosphere and sense of place. When he passed away in 2004 in his beloved Milan, Frattini left behind one of the richest and most varied legacies of any 20th-century designer, including award-winning furniture - both indoor and outdoor - modern icons and striking interiors that shaped the taste of the age.
