“The shape of the goblets themselves resembles that of the “kantharoi”, the cups used by ancient Greeks to drink wine, whereas Orpheus, the mythological hero from which the collection takes its name, lives in a status of perfect balance between Apollonian and Dionysian, rationality and passion.”
ETTORE SOTTSASS JR
orfeo
The cultured, unpredictable genius of one of the most influential designers in the world gave life to the Orfeo collection, a refined tribute to classical mythology.
classic passion
The Orfeo collection was born in the wonderful Isle of Filicudi, a jewel of the Aeolian archipelago that is closely connected to several great personalities from the world of art and culture.
In his initial project, Ettore Sottsass Jr had designed the chalice with an empty foot, but the glass masters at Arnolfo di Cambio ended up making the first prototypes with full crystal feet.
Sottsass soon realized that the full feet would have improved the stability of glasses, in addition to emphasising the material consistency of crystal. He was thus convinced to sign the project with this small, yet substantial, variation.
