Gino Sarfatti Model 3001 Ceiling Lamps for Arteluce, Italy, 1950s (Set of 3)

Three circular ceiling lamps make up the group, two at forty centimetres in diameter and a smaller one at thirty, each no more than seven centimetres deep. The white-lacquered aluminium rim runs unbroken around the edge; the pressed satin glass diffuser covers the entire front surface, held in place by small screws set along the perimeter. When lit, they reveal a prismatic texture on a tight orthogonal grid of raised points, which breaks the light into an even diffusion. Unlit, they return to being three opaline discs flush to the wall.

The structure is built in white-lacquered aluminium with a pressed satin glass diffuser. The aluminium forms a shallow ring that holds the glass at the front and attaches to the mounting support through a disc-shaped back plate. The glass is pressed with a regular pattern of raised points on a fine orthogonal grid; the satin finish softens reflections and returns a warm light without glare. The diffuser is secured by perimeter screws lacquered in the same tone as the body. No applied decorative detail.

The 3001 model is the work of Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce, the Milanese manufacturer founded by Sarfatti himself in 1939 and grown during the post-war years into one of the reference points of Italian lighting design. The dating around 1950 places the piece in Sarfatti's first mature phase, when the functionalist language of the company was taking definitive shape. The model is documented in Marco Romanelli and Sandra Severi, Gino Sarfatti. Opere scelte 1939-1973, Milan 2012, p. 479. The original Arteluce label remains on the reverse.

The lamps are in good condition, consistent with their age. The lacquered rims show micro-abrasions and small installation marks along the edge, with no structural defects. The glass diffusers are intact on all three units, with no cracks or chips. The original Arteluce labels remain legible.

Dimensions:
model 3001/40 (×2): Height 7 cm (2.8 in) x Diameter 40 cm (15.7 in);
model 3001/30 (×1): Height 7 cm (2.8 in) x Diameter 30 cm (11.8 in)