SKU: 56410149718

ETTORE SOTTSASS TABLE LAMPS FOR BITOSSI

Sale price$1338.75 Regular price$1487.50
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Description

ETTORE SOTTSASS TABLE LAMPS FOR BITOSSIA beautiful pair of cadmium yellow table lamps with yellow dark gray volcanic surface decor and black, cloth shades. Designed in the mid to late 1950s by famed Italian architect and industrial designer Ettore Sottsass and produced by BITOSSI CERAMICHE of Montelupo Fiorentino, Italy. Probably imported into the US by Raymor. ETTORE SOTTSASS was born in Innsbruck in 1917 and grew up in Turin in northern Italy, where his father (also Ettore) worked as an

A beautiful pair of cadmium yellow table lamps with yellow/dark-gray volcanic surface decor and black, cloth shades.  Designed in the mid to late 1950s by famed Italian architect and industrial designer Ettore Sottsass and produced by BITOSSI CERAMICHE of Montelupo Fiorentino, Italy.  Probably imported into the US by Raymor.

ETTORE SOTTSASS was born in Innsbruck in 1917 and grew up in Turin in northern Italy, where his father (also Ettore) worked as an architect.  Sottsass attended the prestigious Politecnico di Torino, and graduated in 1939 with a degree in architecture.  He then dutifully joined the Italian military.  When Italy surrendered to the Allies in 1943, hundreds of thousands of Italian troops were captured by the Germans, Sottsass among them.  He spent the rest of the war in a labor camp in Sarajevo.  Upon his return home, Sottsass worked for a few years in Turin with his father, often on new, modernist versions of buildings that had been destroyed during the war.  In 1947 he set up his own architectural and industrial design studio in Milan.  There he began to explore a variety of media:  ceramics, painting, sculpture, furniture, photography, jewelry, architecture, and interior design.  In 1956 Sottsass had a brief stint working with industrial designer George Nelson, initially in Nelson's New York City offices.  During this time, his focus shifted away from architecture and toward design.

Returning to Italy in 1957, he took a job as an art director with the design company Poltronova, a semi-industrial producer of contemporary furniture.  The following year he signed on as a consultant in the electronics division of Olivetti, the Italian typewriter manufacturer.  Its founder Adriano Olivetti hired Sottsass to work alongside his son, Roberto.  Sottsass made a name for himself as a designer at Olivetti, where he managed to bring office equipment into the realm of popular culture.  Sottsass, Roberto Olivetti, and Mario Tchou won the prestigious 1960 Compasso d’Oro prize for the design of the 'Elea 9003,' the first Italian mainframe computer.  His work for Olivetti reached a climax in 1969 when he collaborated with Perry King on the 'Valentine' typewriter—today considered a milestone in 20th century design.  Compared with the drab typewriters of the day, the bright red plastic portable 'Valentine' was as much a design statement as an office machine, and it became something of a fashion accessory.  Meanwhile at Poltronova, Sottsass developed a range of objects that were expressive of his personal travels in the US and India.  These included large, altar-like ceramic sculptures and his 'Superboxes'—massive case pieces meant to hold all of one’s belongings and to reside in the middle of a room.  Covered in boldly colorful custom laminates, they anticipated Sottsass's work with the Memphis Group.

Sottsass spent the 1960s and '70s playing with radical forms and materials—reimagining the very concept of functionality.  These years were marked by experimental collaborations with young design collectives such as Superstudio and Archizoom Associati and culminated in the founding of the Memphis Group in December 1980.  (The group took its name from a Bob Dylan song that happened to be playing during its first meeting, "Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again.")  Memphis was launched with a 40-piece collection of postmodern furniture, ceramics, lighting, glass, and textiles that featured fluorescent colors, slick surfaces, intentionally lop-sided shapes, and squiggly patterns in laminate.  Other founding members were Aldo Cibic, Marco Marabelli, Matteo Thun, and Marco Zanin; Johanna Grawunder, Marco Susani, and Mike Ryan joined later.  The group was active through 1988 and attracted worldwide attention with its energy and flamboyance.

Concurrent with the Memphis Group, Sottsass began assembling a major design consultancy, Sottsass Associati.  Its studio gave him a platform from which to launch architectural and design projects of a substantial scale for such large international companies as Apple, Phillips, Siemens, Zanotta, Fiat, and Alessi.  Its work was generally conducted by young associates, who often left to open their own studios.  Sottsass Associati, now based in London and Milan, continues to operate.  In 2006 the L.A. County Museum of Art held the first major museum survey exhibition of Sottsass's work in the US.  Retrospectives have since been mounted in London (2007), Maastricht (2009), and, on the occasion of his 100th birthday, in New York City (2017).

BITOSSI CERAMICHE was established in 1921 as Manifattura Ceramica Cav. Guido Bitossi & Figli by Guido Bitossi in Montelupo Fiorentino in Tuscany—a region with an ancient tradition of ceramics a few kilometers from Florence.  The Bitossi family, documented in the area as early as 1536, had for centuries worked there as sculptors, painters, but especially as potters.  In the twentieth century, under Guido's leadership, they would introduce an extraordinary stylistic and formal renewal of their craft.

In the late 1940s master ceramist Aldo Londi (1911-2003) was named BITOSSI CERAMICHE's creative director.  He held the position for more than 50 years and would design over 1,000 objects for the company.  Himself a Montelupo native, Londi brought to BITOSSI a deep expertise in the traditional production of ceramics.  Nevertheless he keenly appreciated the streamlined forms of the mid-century moment.  He is best known for his 'Rimini Blu' collection (1955-1965), an iconic series comprised of over 150 designs—bowls, vases, jugs, and animal figurines—all glazed in a vibrant azure hue and embossed with abstract motifs and shapes.  It helped to bring expressive, hand-crafted work into the modernist design conversation in Italy.  Londi’s last solo collection, 'ARKitectura,' stands somewhat apart from his earlier work and features elegantly minimalistic animal figures glazed in monochromatic black, white, or platinum.  Both collections are still in production today and widely collected by enthusiasts.

During Londi's tenure, BITOSSI collaborated successfully with a host of famous designers, including the legendary architect-designer Ettore Sottsass.  An avatar of 1960s counter-culture, Sottsass thought design should be provocative and sensual, and his avant-garde style blended well with BITOSSI’s mid-century aesthetic.  Besides Sottsass, BITOSSI partnered with designers Piero Fornasetti, Karim Rashid, Arik Levy, Fabio Novembre, Benjamin Hubert, Matteo Thun, Monica Förster, and Cédric Ragot.

Today BITOSSI CERAMICHE is justly considered an institution.  The Bitossi family and its foundation have amassed an archive of over 7,000 historical documents and materials in relation to the production of ceramics.  The assemblage is housed in the Bitossi Artistic Industrial Museum in Montelupo.  In 2014, BITOSSI became an official member of the Registry of Italian Historical Companies, appointed by the Italian National Union of Chambers of Commerce.

I try and be as stupid as possible regarding my profession, which means I try to look at as few design magazines as possible. – ETTORE SOTTSASS

Design Period – 1950-1959

Country of Origin – ITALY

Designer – ETTORE SOTTSASS (1917-2007)

Maker – BITOSSI CERAMICHE

Attribution – WELL-KNOWN

Materials – CERAMIC

Condition – VERY GOOD (no defects; may show slight traces of use)

Plug – N. AMERICAN

Height (in.) – 29.0

Diameter (in.) – 15.09

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SKU: 56410149718

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4.1 ★★★★★
Based on 19 reviews
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Product Reviews
K
Verified Purchase
Kelli
Charlottesville, US
★★★★★ 5
Extremely durable even for destructo-dogs!
Color: Orange Squeak Toy, Size: Medium
I got this for our chew-monster Bruce, a very large German Shepherd & (we think) Great Dane mix, after he repeatedly demonstrated his ability to utterly destroy the large Kong squeaky tennis balls within a matter of minutes. He LOVES some squeak, so he obsessively squeaks his toys until they're crushed. After some research on longer-lasting toys, I splurged on one of these, fully intending to guilt the dog forever if he destroyed this much more expensive toy. It's been 2 months, and this ball is not only still squeaking, but it isn't chewed or destroyed AT ALL, despite Bruce's best attempts! It's smaller than his other balls, and because it's a slicker texture, it slides out of his mouth more easily. However, it squeaks when it hits the ground, and he can entertain himself with it for long periods of time. Pros: - Super durable - Squeaker is molded in so it can't come out (unlike the other toys we've bought) - Bright orange is WAY easier to see in the grass than stained green/yellow tennis balls - Easy to clean Cons: - I wish it were slightly larger, because his mouth is so big. No issues with swallowing it or anything, but if they had an XL size (like other super-large sized balls) we'd go for it. Orbee, let us know if you decide to upsize! - It doesn't squeak quite as easily as other squeak balls, but Bruce figured out how to make it work. He sometimes will even hold it against the ground to squeak it faster. - It doesn't squeak as loudly as the faux tennis ball kinds, but wait...that's not a bad thing. It's still loud enough for him to enjoy, without the neighborhood rioting. Overall I can't recommend this toy enough. We feel safe letting him play with it since the squeaker can't come out, and it's paid for itself repeatedly - we were going through a 6-pack of squeaky tennis balls per week (or more!), and haven't had to buy any in the last 2 months because this ball is still in pristine condition.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2019
J
Verified Purchase
Jonathan H.
Carnegie, US
★★★★★ 1
Poor quality — squeaker lasts 2 minutes
Color: Blue Squeak Toy, Size: Medium
These balls used to be great quality and long lasting. Something changed about a year ago and now the quality is considerably less to include the squeaker becoming inoperable within 2 mins of play. Not sure if the raw materials or the manufacturing process changed, however the decline in quality is obvious. I do not recommend this product to anyone who has a dog that is larger than 10-15 lbs.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2026
L
Verified Purchase
LizO
Lake Worth, US
★★★★★ 4
STROBE: Favorite Ball, durable, decent battery life
Color: Glow in the Dark Strobe Toy, Size: Medium
*Update since Outward Hound redesign: The new version doesn't seem to light up as consistently on every bounce and seems to light up in a more seizure inducing way (I'm sorry I couldn't think of a better description). The light also seems to die much faster with the new version. The inner light and batter actually popped out its encasement in one ball after about 2 months of use, only by my Golden who doesn't chew particularly forcefully on it. I did notice right away and check regularly for damage, just putting that out there as a warning. It is still by far my dog's favorite ball. Original: This is my Golden Retriever's absolute favorite ball! Particularly the strobe light up ball but she's happy with any Planet Dog ball to the point that she looks at me for the "good ball" to fetch with if i try to have her play with a ball from a different company. Pros: by far my dog's favorite ball - good bounce, and good squish factor yet durable -larger size: safe for large dogs -lights up to see at night -decent battery life -rain does not affect battery Cons: -battery is not replaceable/ rechargeable (though I'm not sure it's an option without seriously altering the design) -regular glow (once battery is dead) is not great -only lights up on a bounce and shortly after that - If your dog bites down particularly forcefully it can displace the battery which typically kills it; if submerged in water (my dog tends to place it in her water bowl when she takes a break while fetching), it is reduces battery life, both make me worry about safety The ball always out lasts the lifespan of the battery for the light, I'd say we average about 1 month per ball while the light works with about 1 hour of use almost everyday. The ball does hold up to some of my dog's friends that are super chewers including one that is a Cane Corso. I don't let them sit and work at chewing it but they definitely squeeze it in their mouths with a good bit of force. My girl is happy to play with the ball even once the battery dies but I prefer to have the light so I can find the ball when needed. The glow color does glow when placed under a flashlight for a few minutes first but I find it doesn't glow as well or as long as other company's glow toys. My dog has a tendency to drown it in her water bowl to keep it nearby or rinse off any dirt and that definitely shortens the battery life but using it in the rain doesn't seem to affect the battery life I think this being my dog's favorite has to do with the good bounce and squeeze factor this ball has. I like that it's slightly bigger than a tennis ball so I'm comfortable with large dogs playing with it. It fits in the "large" chuck it ball launcher. I actually discovered this specific ball when another dog had it and my dog kept taking it instead of her other light up ball that she had played with happily for months.
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Reviewed in the United States on September 10, 2023
S
Verified Purchase
Sherry
Lowell, US
★★★★★ 5
Great for my pitbull, worth the price! the warranty isn’t what it seems so check their site first.
Color: Orange Squeak Toy, Size: Medium
I’ve now purchased 3 and I don’t see myself ever stopping! My 55lb Staffie (pitbull) has absolutely obliterated every ball and toy (rope, rubber, stuffed) before this one in a matter of minutes. You take your eyes off it, and the next time you’d look back it would be in pieces. Kong Xtremes and other “indestructible” toys only lasted a week, tops. He also goes nuts for anything that squeaks, so keeping him happily entertained for a while was a challenge because the second he’d chomp down on a squeaker, it’d break. He’s now had this blue squeak ball for a MONTH and it STILL SQUEAKS!! He regularly falls asleep with it still in his mouth, or tucked under his chin. That’s how obsessed he is with this thing. I would 100% recommend this to anyone who needs a seriously durable toy for their super powerful chewer as that’s been my experience! This material is super bouncy and he can bite down (unlike some rubbers, Kong/West Paw) without puncturing it somehow. It’s perfect for fetch, and floats too. He’s never had a toy last this long, so this is a welcome break for my wallet despite being a more expensive toy. I was buying a few toys every week until we tried this one! Cons: The first two balls didn’t squeak after a few days, so maybe they’ve improved something since then. The warranty replacement process is more tedious than others like West Paw, and only replaces them ONCE. It’s also requires more force to squeak this given the nature of the material, but since it extends the life of the squeaker I’m totally fine with it.
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Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2018
M
Verified Purchase
Michael F
Fort Morgan, US
★★★★★ 5
This ball has lasted and still have it after many months or longer. My dog loves it.
Color: Pink Squeak Toy, Size: Medium
My Belgian Malinois can really chew through inferior play toys and balls, etc., and this is one of the few that has lasted a long time, and he really likes it. Another bonus is that it gets quite slippery with his saliva and the ball will bounce a little bit unevenly, so it can either slip out of his mouth or bounce in an unexpected direction that can fool him. He has such quick reactions that is hard to get a ball past him, but with this ball, I can score extra points on him when he can't block it. Otherwise I have no chance, and he beats me every time.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2025

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