Manhattan Lamp: Caula Crafts Pendant With Michelangelo's Italian Marble

Named after the place of origin of its marble, the Calacatta Manhattan quarry in the Italian city of Carrara, the "Manhattan lamp" is Canadian designer Rodrigo Caula's latest creative feat.

Noticeable in it's caplet structure, the two-part table lamp appears to be a solid piece of marble that allows light to shine through, producing a mellow orange glow. The light also makes the intricate surface structure of the marble very prominent, as if revealing a hidden matrix of veins.

One important factor worth considering for table-lamp purchases is its ability to be repositioned. The "Manhattan lamp" is connected by a black spiral retracting cord which extends in length by 5 meters, thus making it easy for the user to accommodate the lamp in a variety of resting positions.

The site of the lamp's marble's origin is of historic significance because Carrara was also Michelangelo's go-to place to collect the precious, white metamorphic rock. He used Carrara marble for some his notable sculptural works including "Pieta" and "Moses". Use of the marble to build the Manhattan Lamp makes for a nostalgic juxtaposition of history and visions of the sprawling Italian mountain-scape.

Photography: Studio Caula