Geometric Architectural Wooden Sculpture, Italy, 1990s

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Geometric Architectural Wooden Sculpture, Italy, 1990s.

A tall pyramid in dark, richly toned wood rises from a low plank base, its surface pierced by a mosaic of small square and stepped openings. The pattern recalls an architectural plan or a miniature city, with windows, courtyards and passages cut cleanly into the timber, and light passes through the openings to draw soft shadows on the wall behind. The grain runs in long lines from base to tip, and the edges carry a deep, even glow that gives the piece a calm, monumental presence. Seen from the side, the form narrows to a slim, sharp blade, which makes the sculpture feel different from every angle.

Luciano Bertolotto was an Italian maker who signed his works Pompi and followed a naïf, primitive instinct, building towers, totems and figures from wood with simple, direct gestures. He assembled his sculptures by fitting pieces together, and this pyramid shows the method at its most architectural: each opening is a small square, and together they form a rhythm. Made in the 1990s, it belongs to the family of towers and pyramids that recur in his work, and it brings a strong, sculptural note to a shelf, a console or a desk.