Achille Castiglioni’s most famous design from 1970 has one star: the light bulb. It glides up and down on a cable—now in an LED version, complete with its socket and a painted steel tube. The latter is tensioned by mounting it to the ceiling and attaching a weight to its lower end. The whole thing works because the steel tube, with its multiple bends, increases friction on the cable to such an extent that it effortlessly holds the lamp’s weight in position. It literally clings to the cable—hence the lamp’s name: Parentesi is the Italian word for bracket. The lamp head is made of black elastomer. For good reason: it doesn’t get hot, so the lamp can be touched and its angle adjusted.

A surprisingly simple principle that provides freely positionable and direct light. And a pleasantly understated lighting object, self-referential, rightly described as a classic.

One more person deserves mention here: Fiat designer Pio Manzù. Castiglioni’s design of the PARENTESI is based on his sketches.

Made in Italy.

Socket: E27, power consumption: max. 150 W (recommended LED 13 W), protection class: IP20. A suitable light bulb is not included. Euro plug (Type C).

The architect and designer Achille Castiglioni and his brothers Pier Giacomo and Livio are among the driving forces and great innovators of Italian design in the 20th century. The style of the three brothers varies between simple practicality and organic opulence. Design objects that use industrially manufactured components in surprising new contexts in the tradition of ready-mades became a particular trademark of the Castiglionis.