Early Pipistrello lamp  by Gae Aulenti for Martinelli Luce. (1970's)
 
The name Pipistrello comes from Italian, which is also the origin of the designer Gae Aulenti, and is inspired by the lampshade that resembles the wings of a bat.
 
The lamp is adjustable in height ( 66 -86 cm ). It can indeed stretch thanks to a telescopic neck that reaches up to 20 cm.
Satin stainless steel telescope and a white opal methacrylate diffuser.
The production of this lamp found some obstacles at the beginning. Indeed, there were no suitable molds for the telescopic rod and the diffuser flaps at the time. Elio Martinelli, after many tests, was finally able to create molds and a machine for production.
 
The Pipistrello Lamp is one of the most awarded modern lamps of the 20th century and it is prominently displayed in the permanent collections of the Centre Pompidou (Paris), the MoMA (New York), the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York) and the Museum des Arts Decoratives (Montreal). Gae Aulenti's Pipistrello lamp is considered to be a masterpiece of mid century modern Italian design.
 
Height adjustment.
Measures:
86 cm
56 cm diameter