PH Artichoke

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The PH Artichoke Pendant is a designer Light fixture manufactured by Louis Poulsen. It was designed by Poul Henningsen in 1958. The design centers on a 360-degree glare-free light created by 72 leaves, that resemble an artichoke. The light source or bulb cannot be directly viewed, the light is directed and reflected upon leaves until it illuminates the entire artichoke. A chrome inner diffuser also assists in the proper even reflection of the light source. The light source can be an incandescent bulb (high powered Halogen or Xenon), Fluorescent (With the Ballast mounted in fixture canopy), or Metal Halide (Canopy mounted ballast). The Metal Halide sources are used in the largest of the Artichoke fixtures. For years, a number of companies have tried to replicate the Artichoke fixture, only a handful have made a replica that is at all geometrically and cosmetically similar. However, a fixture called the "Cosmo" manufactured by Prospetto Light, is an almost exact replica of the original Louis Poulson Artichoke.^{[citation needed]}. The design and physical construction of the Cosmo is almost perfectly identical to the Poulson fixture, and a side by side comparison of the light diffusion between both is strikingly similar.^{[citation needed]}

The Poulson Artichoke Pendent comes in copper, wet painted white or brushed stainless steel and in three different sizes. The leaves are laser-cut steel to produces shape lines reflective of modern design. The entire fixture is mounted by stainless steel aircraft cables to hold the unusually heavy weight of the light. A heavy duty UL Listed junction box is generally required to handle the weight of this pendant. The Metal Halide Sourced version utilizes a 220-277 Volt AC power input, generally requiring a dedicated 20A circuit and breaker.