Beginning in the 1990s, German design company Anthologie Quartett developed a lighting program based on “spectacular items…for the most divergent lighting purposes.” From table lamps in the shape of Russian nesting dolls made of porcelain bisque to floor lamps that resemble underwater medusae, the unique lighting designs of Anthologie Quartett are conversation pieces as well as lamps.

Alumega Lamp. Designed by Nina Jeroch. Manufactured by Anthologie Quartett.

After the success of her two-dimensional circuit board lamps (pendants and sconces), designer Nina Jeroch expanded her Alumega Lamp into three dimensions, creating a dramatic square chandelier composed of four circuit boards. The Alumega chandelier uses maze-like shades “that reflect their virtually sumptuous light towards the inside.” Jeroch’s LED lamp received the iF product award 2010 Hannover.

The beauty of Alumega rests on two details: openness and technology. The labyrinthine passages mimic complex garden mazes, letting the light snake through its sinuous streets and anfractuous alleyways. The lamp’s reference to technology also presents an interesting intellectual juxtaposition: light, which is so elemental, gets modernized, brought into the new millennium. A wonderful piece to hang above study tables at research libraries, as well as above dining rooms in Silicon Valley homes, Alumega echoes the complex pathways of the brain at thought—in this regard, the light represents enlightenment.

About the Manufacturer: Anthologie Quartett began in 1983 as a gallery collection of architecture, design, art, and fashion. The company presented its first collection at the Cologne Furniture Fair and Milan Saloni in 1984, with designs by Bellefast, Borek Sipek, Ettore Sottsass, Matteo Thun, and Daniel Weil. With products as diverse as chandeliers and necklaces, kid’s furniture and mirrored washstands, Anthologie Quartett offers unique objects for just about everyone.