Model 597 – Gubi

First marketed in 1961, the Model 597 is the lamp that established Italian virtuoso Gianfranco Frattini as a lighting designer. Short and cylindrical in shape, it features multiple bulbs and eccentric bangs that conceal its functional versatility. Its unique, playful shape perfectly encapsulates Frattini's approach to the aesthetics of light.

The Model 597 lamp is back more than six decades after its first production run. If it occupies an important place in design history, it's not least because it brilliantly showcases Frattini's affinity for materials, functional orientation and ingenious construction. 

The unique nylon bangs are inspired by both the fashion world and the fringed entrance curtains commonly found in Italian bars and grocery stores in the late 1950s. They are attached to a diabolo-shaped aluminum base, fitted with six side bulbs around the central core, with an additional bulb housed in a cavity at the top, which directs the light upwards. This creates a 360° light that spreads evenly between the bangs, as well as an upward light - enhanced by the reflection in the polished aluminum surface - that can be individually controlled using a two-button switch.

The bodies of both versions are constructed from aluminum plate, which is turned on a lathe and shaped on a mold. The table lamp is made in a single piece, while the floor lamp is composed of two pieces, which are fastened with three socket head cap screws. These are also used to secure the base plate and cover of both lamps, enabling them to be easily dismantled for repair or recycling.

Materials Polished Aluminium, nylon fringes

Table lamp Ø26 x H29 cm, Cord 210 cm
Floor lamp Ø42 x H45 cm, Cord 210 cm

Gianfranco Frattini