Lamp; POZZI, ca. 1920.

Lamp; POZZI, ca. 1920.
Alabaster and onyx globe.
Provenance: Francis Meyer Collection, Switzerland.
Signed “Pozzi.”
Measurements: 84 cm (height).
Carved from luminous, light-toned alabaster, this female figure balances on a polished onyx sphere that conceals a light source within. The sphere is not merely a support but the true visual focal point of the composition, diffusing a soft light that passes through the alabaster and illuminates the silhouette from within. The figure, with its elegant proportions, strikes a dance pose. Her body arches slightly, with one leg bent and the other extended, while her arms trace a wide arc above her head; the light tunic, clinging to her body, hints at her form without detracting from its lightness, accompanying the gesture rather than restricting it. Alabaster, chosen for its translucency, intensifies this sense of weightlessness. The material absorbs the light coming from the sphere and diffuses it across the legs, torso, and arms, giving the figure an almost lifelike presence, as if it were illuminated from within. The onyx, darker and veined with natural patterns, creates a deliberate contrast: a solid, earthy base supports a figure that seems on the verge of breaking free from it. The work is fully in keeping with the decorative tradition inherited from the Belle Époque and the early 20th century, characterized by a love of dance, a fascination with an idealized Orient, an emphasis on sinuous lines and movement, and the integration of sculpture with a utilitarian function.
The work is signed “Pozzi” on the base, a signature that refers to the well-known family of Italian sculptors active between the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. However, the lack of conclusive evidence prevents it from being attributed with certainty to one of its members; therefore, it should be considered a creation that emerged from the artistic circle of this family dynasty. The Pozzis achieved considerable prestige for their decorative sculptures, characterized by the refined use of white Carrara marble, Portoro marble, and alabaster, as well as by the extraordinary quality of their modeling, particularly in the rendering of hands and feet. Among their most prominent representatives are Egidio Pozzi, Tancredi Pozzi (1864–1929), and Giovanni Oreste Pozzi (1892–1945), whose careers helped consolidate the family’s prestige in Italian sculpture between the late 19th century and the first half of the 20th century.