Spider 291 Table Lamp
Joe Colombo's 1965 table lamp with a tilting reflector, Oluce's first Compasso d'Oro (1967).
180 × 400 × 180 mm
Source: spec sheet PDF — Spider 291 table lamp — published as W 18 × D 18 × H 40 cm
1965
Description
Overview
Spider 291 is a table lamp designed by Joe Colombo in 1965. Oluce describes it as giving direct light through an adjustable lacquered-aluminium reflector on a chromium-plated stem and lacquered-metal base. Spider received the Compasso d'Oro in 1967.
Construction
The product page describes a stove-enamelled sheet-metal reflector made for a special horizontal spot light bulb. A plastic joint allows the reflector to tilt. The 2024 technical sheet lists external lacquered black (RAL 9005) or mustard yellow (RAL 8001), both with a white (RAL 9003) interior. It also specifies Class I, a black cable and a black on/off switch.
Specifications
- Code: 291
- Dimensions: H 40 cm; base Ø 18 cm
- Light source: 1 × max 48 W G9; bulb included
- LED compatibility: compatible bulbs may be used without changing the standard product
- Materials: metal / aluminium
- Type: indoor table lamp; direct light
Story
A reflector designed for its bulb
Oluce identifies the horizontal spot light bulb as the starting point for the reflector. The stove-enamelled sheet-metal element is connected to the stem by a plastic joint that permits tilting, while the current technical description specifies a lacquered-metal base, chromium-plated stem and lacquered-aluminium reflector.
Recognition
Spider received the Compasso d'Oro in 1967. Oluce also records its inclusion in the 1972 New York exhibition titled Italy: The New Domestic Landscape and in the permanent collections of the Milan Triennale, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Kunstmuseum Düsseldorf and Die Neue Sammlung in Munich.
