The Sasso lamp was designed by Luigi Caccia Dominioni and was initially offered as part of the lighting of the Istituto della Beata Vergine Addolorata, a monastery in Milan (Italy).

The Sasso lamp is a significant example of his experimentalism and radicalism, as it effectively unites natural and industrial elements at an intimate domestic scale. The lamp features a polished river pebble base, a compact brass supporting rod, and a black enameled-metal reflector. It inspired Achille Castiglioni to explore experimental design based on the creative reuse of found objects, as seen in his Toio lamp (1962), which incorporates car headlights. This incorporation of the readymade and the use of industrial components to create natural forms was already emerging in Caccia, who laid the groundwork for this approach to design.

In 1947, Dominioni founded the Azucena Furniture Factory with Ignazio Gardella and Corrado Corradi del Acqua, for which he created hundreds of design objects like the Sasso Lamp.

Literature:
G. Gramigna, Arnoldo Mondadori (ed.), Repertory of Italian Design 1950-1980, Milan 1985, p. 58 for a related example.
M. A. Crippa, Testo & Immagine (ed.), Luigi Caccia Dominioni: flussi, spazi e architettura, Turin 1996, p. 87, fig. 1 and 2.

Location: France