Model LS 146 Ceiling Fixture with Blown Opaline Elements by Carlo Nason for AV Mazzega, Italy, 1970s

A cascade of opaline glass gives Carlo Nason’s LS 146 ceiling fixture an unusual sense of movement. Created for Mazzega, the composition turns a compact ceiling light into a sculptural arrangement that changes considerably between its illuminated and unlit states.

Designed by Carlo Nason, the LS 146 belongs to the tradition of post-war Murano lighting in which glass became both the functional and expressive element of a fixture. Nason grew up within a family of Venetian glassmakers and became known for lighting that used repeated glass modules to shape and diffuse light.

Here, a square metal ceiling housing supports a series of elongated blown-glass elements arranged at different heights. Larger opaline cylinders surround the light sources directly beneath the ceiling plate, softening their glow. Below these sit long tubular elements in pale opaline and translucent glass, several terminating in rounded, solid-looking drops. Their staggered lengths give the fixture an asymmetric vertical rhythm, almost like suspended columns.

When switched off, the cool blue-white tone of the glass and warm patina of the metal housing create a restrained contrast. Once illuminated, the upper opaline sections diffuse the bulbs into a warm field of light, which then travels through the lower tubes. Variations in thickness, transparency and form become particularly visible at their rounded ends.

Rather than concealing the construction, the design uses repetition and variation to build its character. Its elongated proportions suit a stairwell, entrance hall or room where a ceiling-mounted fixture can still have a pronounced vertical presence.

The LS 146 combines the material qualities of Murano glass with the modular thinking associated with Nason’s work for Mazzega. Light, glass and differing lengths create a composition that remains architectural in form yet changes character once illuminated.

The fixture is in good vintage condition, showing age-related wear to the metal ceiling housing, including surface marks and patination. The glass elements are well preserved, with minor irregularities and traces consistent with handmade glass and age.