Manufacturer: Louis Poulsen | Designer: Poul Henningsen, 1928
Seven Shades of Considered Light
The PH Septima is regarded as one of Poul Henningsen’s most refined pendants. When exhibited as a prototype at the Danish Museum of Decorative Art in 1928, it was publicly applauded. Based on the shade sizes of the PH 5/5, the glass crown takes Henningsen’s three-shade system and extends it to seven — four additional shades inserted between the three basic ones, all produced in delicate but resilient Italian borosilicate glass.
The shades are clear glass, treated to alternate between clear and frosted fields. Each shade is positioned so its frosted fields cover the clear fields of the shade below, diffusing the light progressively from shade to shade — glare-free, downward directed, and radiating a pleasantly delicate glow. A small round glass cup at the top prevents dust from entering the lamp.
A Long Road Back
A smaller PH Septima 4, based on the PH 4/4 shade sizes, followed in 1931. During the same period Henningsen also worked on a metal version — it never reached production, but those drawings later became the foundation for the PH Artichoke, conceived three decades later for the Langelinie Pavilion in Copenhagen. The Septima itself went out of production in the 1940s, a casualty of wartime material shortages. It took until 2020 for Louis Poulsen to bring it back — reissued as the PH Septima 5, with optimised suspension and enhanced glass for improved endurance and stability.
- Light source: Max 1 × 28W E27 (not included)
- Shades: Italian borosilicate glass, alternating clear and sandblasted frosted fields
- Legs: Steel, brass metallised
- Socket housing & canopy: Satin polished brass, untreated
- Cord: 3m white textile, 2 × 0.75mm² with wire | Canopy included
- Weight: Max 7kg
- IP20
Please note: the socket housing and canopy are untreated brass. The surface will develop a natural patina over time; this process may have already begun at delivery.
The metal version of the Septima later inspired the PH Artichoke. See also the PH Snowball — another Henningsen pendant that waited decades to be recognised. Part of the Louis Poulsen PH Lights collection.
