Albini + Helg + Piva, Colibri, Sirrah 1986

Despite its odd and incongruous combination of forms, Sirrah’s Colibri lamp is a sublime object of surprising harmony and balance. Conceived at the height of the 1980s post-modern wave, the Colibri makes a decisive statement against the modernist doctrines of form and function. The lamp was designed by Marco Albini, Franca Helg and Antonio Piva via the architecture and design practice set up by Franco Albini in 1930, now known as Studio Albini Associati. This edition, the Colibri 1 (Colibri 2 being the larger floor lamp), features a heavy cylindrical base with a cut-out segment from which a triangular column rises to hold a tilting reflector. A 3 position switch, which allows for different intensities of light, is housed in the base.

Formed in Imola, Bologna in 1968 and acquired by iGuzzini in 1994, Sirrah is one of Italy’s lesser-known but highly respected manufacturers of lighting. Sirrah’s collaborators included Franco and Marco Albini, Franca Helg, Antonio Piva, Man Ray, Kazuhide Takahama, Emilio Ambasz and René Kemna, to name a few. With much of its catalogue now long out of production, Sirrah’s products are becoming more and more desirable and collectible. The Colibri is certainly no exception.

This example of the Colibri lamp is in excellent condition and working order and has been fitted with a new B15 20W (12V) halogen light source.