Louis Poulsen brings back Poul Henningsen’s sophisticated seven-shade glass crown, based on the PH Septima 5 with optimized suspension and enhanced glass for better endurance and stability.
When exhibited for the first time as a prototype at the Danish Museum of Decorative Art (now Designmuseum Danmark) in 1928, the poetic piece was publically applauded.
The PH Septima is regarded as one of Poul Henningsen’s most refined pendants
The glass
The shades made of clear glass are treated to appear with alternate clear and frosted fields and are positioned so the frosted fields cover the clear fields underneath, allowing the shades to spread the light in a more diffused manner, while maintaining glare-free, downward directed light distribution. In addition, a neat round glass cup is placed at the top in order to prevent dust etc. from falling into the lamp.
The shades
Based on the PH three-shade system of the PH 5/5, the glass crown has four extra shades inserted between the three basic shades – all seven produced in very delicate, but also strong, Italian borosilicate glass.
The size
In 1931, a smaller PH Septima 4 was launched based on shade sizes from the PH 4/4 lamp, where the original PH Septima 5 is based on shade sizes from the PH 5/5.
Poul Henningsen
Poul Henningsen was born in Copenhagen by the famous Danish writer Agnes Henningsen. He never graduated as an architect, but studied at The Technical School at Frederiksberg, Denmark from 1911-14, and then at Technical College in Copenhagen from 1914-17. He started practicing traditional functionalistic architecture, but over the years his professional interests changed to focus mainly on lighting which is what he is most famous for.