Vivai del Sud Leaf-Shaped Wall Sconces, Set of Four, Italy 1970s

The set of four sconces takes up the profile of a rigid fan: a large woven blade opens out from the vertical stem and tapers to a point at the top. The fibre is gathered at the bottom into a tuft above the brass support, then radiates outward in a sunburst that merges into the dense outer weave. The lower portion is left intentionally open, allowing the light from the bulb to filter through the radial ribs and cast a fan-shaped shadow on the wall. The four blades, mounted on the wall, repeat the same design.

Each blade is built on a vertical inner frame, covered with a dense woven mesh in rattan core. The lower band, gathered in a sunburst around the stem, is in palm fibre, distinguishable from the upper weave by its different rhythm. The central stem, cylindrical in section, rises from the base to the top of the blade and houses the internal bulb holder. The wall fitting is in natural brass: a circular rosette and a cylindrical clamp with a screw that locks the fan stem in place and allows the orientation to be adjusted.

The sconces are by Vivai del Sud, the Italian workshop active from the 1960s in the design of furniture and lighting in rattan core, rattan and natural fibres. In the 1970s the house developed a domestic vocabulary that combined Mediterranean craft tradition with Eastern references: rigid fans, blades and leaf-shaped lampshades entered the catalogues of the period and accompanied the bourgeois interiors of the decade. The leaf model, built around a central stem with a visible sunburst at the bottom, is one of the production's recurring typologies.

The set is in homogeneous and very good condition. The rattan-core weave is intact across all four blades, with no broken meshes or losses; the palm fibre of the lower tuft retains its flexibility and the warm original tone. The brass of the wall fittings shows the natural patina of age and has not been re-polished. The screw clamps are functional on all four sconces. The wiring should be checked before installation, as is standard for vintage lighting.

Dimensions (each): Height 38 cm (15.0 in) x Width 31 cm (12.2 in) x Depth 10 cm (3.9 in)

Power Source: Hardwired
Voltage: 220-240v
Lampshade: Included