Tizio

{{Short description|Counterweight-balanced table lamp}}

File:Lampe Tizio von Richard Sapper.jpg

Tizio is a desk lamp created by Richard Sapper for Artemide in 1972.{{Cite web|url=http://richardsapperdesign.com/products/1970-1980/tizio|title=Richard Sapper Design - Tizio - 1972|last=Sapper|first=Richard|date=|website=richardsapperdesign.com|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2017-06-06}} It was selected for the Compasso d'Oro industrial design award in 1979. An item of it is part of the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art"Richard Sapper: "Tizio" table lamp (1988.236.10)". In Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. [http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ho/11/euwcm/hod_1988.236.10.htm] (October 2006) and of the Museum of Modern Art.[http://www.moma.org/collection/browse_results.php?criteria=O%3AAD%3AE%3A5162&page_number=9&template_id=1&sort_order=1 MoMA.org | The Collection | Richard Sapper. Tizio Table Lamp. 1971]

The position and the direction of the bulb can be adjusted; thanks to two counterweights, moving it requires little effort. There are no wires between the base and the lamp: the two parallel arms, connected with snap fasteners, conduct safe 12-volt electricity. The bulb is halogen, which was previously mainly used in the automotive industry.[http://www.dwr.com/designers/?designer_id=271 Design Within Reach - Designers- Bio of Richard Sapper]

The Tizio is available in a variety of sizes and colours; the original, and most widely known, is the 50 (referring to the wattage of the bulb) in black. The mid-sized model is the 35, and there is the bedside-sized Micro (20 Watts). Other colours are white, and grey metallic; and, the occasional limited edition in polished aluminium, or titanium-colour. There also is a floorstanding version, the Terra, which consist of a 70-centimeter-high pedestal with the same 11 cm diameter as the lamp's base, with the 50 added on top. The Terra-stand is also available in a 10 cm diameter, matching the 35 model. Recently,{{when|date=January 2018}} an energy-saving LED-powered version of the full-sized model has been added; as has a version of the regular 50 with a horizontally rotatable head, the Plus. The LED and Plus versions are equipped with a dimmer; all other versions have a three-position switch, allowing for off, full, and – approximately – half power.

Design changes were made to the head in the nineties – a glass cover, and a thin wire terminating in a small red bead were added.

The name Tizio was given by Ernesto Gismondi, the founder of Artemide, and alludes to {{Ill|Tizio, Caio e Sempronio|it}}, the Italian equivalent of Tom, Dick and Harry. One explanation for the name is that Gismondi hoped to appeal to everyone;Guendalina Dainelli, "[https://www.mag1861.it/it/news/articolo/lampada_tizio_artemide_arredo-18221170 Genio della lampada]", Mag 1861, September 29, 2022 another is that Gismondi hoped to convince Sapper to create Caio and Sempronio designs as well.{{Cite web |title=Tizio 50 Years |url=https://www.artemide.com/es/journal/55/tizio-50-anni |website=Artemide}}