The Monachella lamp takes its name from the black veil worn by nuns as they go about their daily work and prayers radiating calm and serenity. Luigi Caccia Dominioni captured perfectly the demure and gentle presence of a nun in the subtle, downward position and angle of the lampshade. Whether lighting up the book you are reading, or focusing in on a special object or part of a room, this lamp is modesty personified. In keeping with the Benedictine order’s motto “pray and work”, the Monachella operates dutifully and can be raised higher or lowered down the stem for optimal illumination. But over and above fulfilling its purpose as a tall reading lamp it is an object of contemplation and meditation.