Carlo Scarpa floor lamp model 2226 produced by Venini, Italy, 1938-39

A refined and very rare floor lamp designed by Carlo Scarpa and produced by Venini in Murano around 1938–1939, model no. 2226 from the Catalogo Rosso Venini.

The piece exemplifies the poetic rigor that defines Scarpa’s early collaboration with Venini: a vertical composition of extraordinary clarity, where material and light coexist in perfect equilibrium. The tall stem is formed by a succession of hand-blown glass spheres, each meticulously bugnato—that is, textured with a faceted surface that refracts light in multiple directions. This rhythm of transparent volumes culminates in a large ribbed glass diffuser, delicately fanned like an open shell, which casts a warm, diffused glow upward. The structure rests on a circular brass base, its patina enriching the contrast between metal and glass while grounding the lamp’s ethereal presence.

Visually, the lamp is a study in proportion and material tension: the repetition of glass modules creates vertical cadence, while the broad, softly fluted shade tempers the linear ascent with a gesture of calm expansion. When illuminated, the dialogue between the translucent cordonato shade and the tactile bugnato stem transforms light into texture—one of Scarpa’s most distinctive signatures.

Founded in 1921, Venini stands as the most intellectually and artistically ambitious of Murano’s glassworks, renowned for its collaborations with architects and designers who reshaped modern Italian glass. Among them, Carlo Scarpa (1906–1978) brought an architectural sensibility to glass design, combining technical innovation with profound respect for craft. His works for Venini in the 1930s and 1940s introduced new textures, structures, and relationships between form and light, bridging the tradition of Venetian glassmaking with the language of modern design.

Dimensions: 180 h × 70 diameter cm (≈ 70.9 h × 27.6 diameter in)

Power Source: Plug-in
Voltage: 220-240v
Lampshade: Included