Different Tendencies
Gaetano Pesce
Moloch
Scene design: Duyi Han
Prototype no. 000-F for Moloch floor lamp
Produced by Bracciodiferro, Italy
1971
Anodized aluminum, painted aluminum, aluminum, steel, painted steel, wood
90.5 x 122.75 x 33.75 inches
229.9 x 311.8 x 86 centimeters
Ever playful, in the early 1970s, Gaetano Pesce took the common task lamp and scaled it to four times its original size. The result is the outsized Moloch floor lamp, named after a Caanenite deity. It was the first object produced by Italian manufacturer Bracciodiferro. While the company intended to make a run of 100, it is likely that less than 20 were made. In addition, six lettered prototypes were created, including the last prototype 000-F shown in Different Tendencies. Each prototype came in a different finish; this version is in black-colored aluminum. True to form, Pesce cheekily stated that “Moloch was conceived for a practical need: to illuminate large American skyscrapers.”
Images courtesy of Friedman Benda