Gaetano Pesce named his towering floor lamp after the ancient Ammonite god Moloch, to whom certain Levantine tribes sacrificed children by fire. Fed by the offspring of its own progenitor, Pesce’s lamp derives from designer Jac Jacobsen’s “L-1” adjustable lamp (1937), of which Norwegian manufacturer Luxo has produced more than 25 million examples. A pointed comment perhaps—one never knows with Pesce—it’s the many who have created god in their own image, not the reverse. Regardless, the “Moloch” presides everywhere at the same time, seeing, allowing us to see, at the end of its spring-balanced arm.

Naval architect Aldo Cichero acquired lots 401, 406 and 411 directly from manufacturer Bracciodiferro, where until 1972 he had led research and development in close collaboration with Cesare Cassina, Gaetano Pesce, and Alessandro Mendini.

As curator Anty Pansera has noted in the catalogue to her recent exhibition, Bracciodiferro: Gaetano Pesce – Alessandro Mendini 1971-1975 (in which the present lot appeared), Pesce’s “Moloch” was the first object produced by the firm. Although Bracciodiferro had intended to make an edition of 100, the company had sold only 13 by July 1975, its final year of production. The present lot, stamped “000-C,” is one of six known prototypes of varying finishes labeled alphanumerically as follows: 000-A (mirror-polished aluminum); 000-B (black aluminum); 000-C (bronze-anodized aluminum); 000-D (bronze aluminum); 000-E (black aluminum); and 000-F (black-colored aluminum). Pansera believes Bracciodiferro only produced approximately 20 examples in addition to its run of prototypes.

An example of Gaetano Pesce’s “Moloch” floor lamp, a gift from the manufacturer, is in the permanent collection of The Museum of Modern Art, New York.