The PH Artichoke is considered to be a classical masterpiece made by Poul Henningsen more than 40 years ago. The structure is made of twelve steel arches. On this structure PH placed 72 copper “leaves” in twelve circular rows with six blades in each row. Because each row is staggered from the previous, all 72 leaves are able to “cover for each other”. This design allows viewing the fixture from any angle without being able to see the light source located in the center of the PH Artichoke. The original PH Artichokes were developed for a restaurant in Copenhagen called the Langelinie Pavilion, and they are still hanging there today.

http://www.danishdesignstore.com/products/ph-artichoke-lamp-by-poul-henningsen-manufactured-under-license-in-denmark-by-louis-poulsen-9