Bilia

Overview

Bilia is a table lamp by Gio Ponti, designed in 1932 according to FontanaArte's current page. FontanaArte presents a sphere balanced, in an apparently impossible way, on a cone that serves as the base, and counts it among Ponti's "many compositional magic tricks". The light is diffused and valorized by the geometrical simplicity of the design.

Construction

The frame is metal and the diffuser is white blown glass with a satin finish. The page lists four versions: Nickel, Brass, Glossy Black and Polished Copper. The lamp has a transparent power cable, a dimmer and a plug, and is dimmable by its switch button; the bulb is not included.

Specifications

• Dimensions: Ø 20 × H 43 cm on FontanaArte's archived 2015 and 2017 pages
• Light source: 1 × E14, total power 46 W, 220-240 V
• Protection and approvals: IP20, Class II, CE, EAC
• Version SKUs: Nickel F247405150KBNE; Brass F247405150TBNE; Glossy Black F247405550NENE; Polished Copper F247405550RSNE

Sphere and cone

FontanaArte's text for Bilia has a sphere balanced on a cone in what it calls an apparently impossible feat. It calls the counterbalancing of two elementary geometric forms an original, perfectly proportioned object, and speaks of "the stylish discretion of non-reflective materials".

Nickel, brass and Bilia Mini

A 2017 FontanaArte page says Bilia was originally in brushed nickel plate and is now also available with a brass cone and a LED light source. The spec sheet adds that in designing Bilia, Ponti imagined a smaller version in a range of "spray colours", and that FontanaArte developed Bilia Mini from those handwritten notes of the original project.