Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
In the early 1990s, when an Italian viewer first encountered a lighting design by Ingo Maurer similar to the present ceiling light, he exclaimed “porca miseria!” (roughly “for God’s sake!”). Amused by this exclamation, the designer decided to name the work after it—typical of his irreverent and witty approach to design.
“Chance rules our life, much more than intention.”
—Ingo MaurerIngo Maurer initially created a lighting design that featured shards of porcelain emanating from a light source in 1990 for a special commission for the Villa Wacker in Lindau, Germany. Four years later he expanded upon this visual idiom in a more dramatic and complex way. Maurer presented another lighting design that featured pieces of broken crockery attached to steel poles at a design fair in Milan. Originally Maurer titled the light Zabrinkie Point after the 1970 film by Michelangelo Antonioni which ended with a dramatic, slow-motion explosion of a building. Describing this influence, Maurer said, "I am fascinated by pictures of explosions, especially seen in slow motion, and I wanted to challenge today's chandelier mania – conservative and humorless." The title was an obvious choice for the ceiling light, but it was only when the Italian viewer remarked “Porca miseria!” that the designer re-named the ceiling light.
Still from Michelangelo Antonioni’s Zabrinkie Point (1970). Over the next two decades, Maurer continued to produce similar designs in limited quantities, often tailored for specific commissions. Each ceiling light is unique and features various configurations of porcelain shards. Describing the somewhat-haphazard and somewhat-calculated process, Maurer said, “We buy porcelain plates at a regular shop. First, we smash them: I have one, I drop it; or I take a hammer to it. It looks very much at random — and it is, maybe 50 or 60 percent. The rest is in a way constructed: There's a bit of calculation of how big I want to have the piece I want to use.”
The present example also includes various cutlery scattered throughout. From 2006 onwards, Maurer began to include other objects such as chopsticks and porcelain figures in his Porca Miseria! ceiling lights.
Literature
Helmut Bauer, Ingo Maurer: Making Light, Munich, 1992, p. 225 for a similar example
Ingo Maurer: To Buy or Not to Buy, sales catalogue, Munich, 1998, p. 67 for a similar example
Kim Hastreiter, et al., Provoking Magic: Lighting of Ingo Maurer, exh. cat., Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, New York, 2007, p. 50 for a similar example
Bernhard Dessecker, ed., Ingo Maurer: Designing with Light, Munich, 2008, pp. 163, 165, 167-68 for similar examples
Property of a Distinguished Collector
86
"Porca Miseria!" ceiling light
designed 1994
Glazed porcelain, stainless steel.
height of fixture: 46 in. (116.8 cm), variable drop
Estimate
$30,000 - 50,000
Sold for $88,900
Benjamin Green
Associate Specialist
Associate Head of Sale
bgreen@phillips.com
+1 917 207 9090
Design
New York Auction 5 December 2023
1
Georges Jouve
Table lamp
Estimate $10,000 - 15,000
Sold for $48,260
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
2
Jean Prouvé
Pair of "Semi-metal" chairs, model no. 305
Estimate $18,000 - 24,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
3
Georges Jouve
Shark sculpture
Estimate $70,000 - 90,000
Sold for $120,650
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
4
Georges Jouve
Pair of table lamps
Estimate $20,000 - 30,000
Sold for $69,850
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
5
After Fernand Léger
"Jaune No. 9" carpet
Estimate $6,000 - 8,000
Sold for $26,670
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
6
Charlotte Perriand and Pierre Jeanneret
Sideboard, model no. 4
Estimate $40,000 - 60,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
7
Jean Prouvé
"Cafétéria" guéridon, model no. 511
Estimate $30,000 - 50,000
Sold for $44,450
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
8
François-Xavier Lalanne
"Pigeon" table lamp
Estimate $25,000 - 35,000
Sold for $53,340
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
9
Andrea Branzi
“Tree 4” wall-mounted shelving unit
Estimate $30,000 - 50,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
10
Kaare Klint
Eight “Red” side chairs, model nos. 3949 and 4751
Estimate $8,000 - 12,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
11
Gilbert Poillerat
Console table
Estimate $6,000 - 8,000
Sold for $58,420
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
12
Claude Lalanne
Unique tray
Estimate $30,000 - 50,000
Sold for $38,100
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
13
Claude Lalanne
Necklace
Estimate $6,000 - 8,000
Sold for $8,890
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
14
Jean Royère
Sideboard
Estimate $15,000 - 20,000
Sold for $38,100
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
15
T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings
Pair of stools, model no. 26
Estimate $20,000 - 30,000
Sold for $53,340
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
16
Jean Dunand
Pair of monumental vases
Estimate $200,000 - 300,000
Sold for $685,800
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
17
Eugène Printz
Extendable dining table
Estimate $20,000 - 30,000
Sold for $19,050
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
18
Rembrandt Bugatti
"Petit Éléphant en marche"
Estimate $120,000 - 180,000
Sold for $165,100
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
19
Jean Després
Champagne bucket
Estimate $2,000 - 3,000
Sold for $3,810
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
20
Marcel Coard
Rare table lamp, from the Marcelle and Paul Cocteau residence, Champgault, France
Estimate $25,000 - 35,000
Sold for $27,940
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
21
Jean Després
Tray
Estimate $8,000 - 12,000
Sold for $10,160
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
22
Jacques Quinet
Pair of armchairs
Estimate $10,000 - 15,000
Sold for $22,860
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
23
Gilbert Poillerat
Guéridon
Estimate $15,000 - 20,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
24
Paul Dupré-Lafon
Secrétaire à abattant
Estimate $60,000 - 80,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
25
Claude Lalanne
"Crococurule"
Estimate $80,000 - 120,000
Sold for $241,300
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
26
Kyohei Fujita
Kazaribako (ornamented box)
Estimate $3,000 - 5,000
Sold for $3,810
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
27
Claude Lalanne
"Pomme-Bouche"
Estimate $25,000 - 35,000
Sold for $53,340
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
28
Kyohei Fujita
Kazaribako (ornamented box)
Estimate $3,000 - 5,000
Sold for $7,620
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
29
Gilbert Poillerat
Table lamp
Estimate $4,000 - 6,000
Sold for $5,080
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
30
Claude Lalanne
Tray
Estimate $10,000 - 15,000
Sold for $13,970
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
31
Jean Puiforcat
Tray
Estimate $4,000 - 6,000
Sold for $15,240
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
32
Gio Ponti
Armchair, model no. 504
Estimate $4,000 - 6,000
Sold for $10,795
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
33
Carlo Scarpa
Rare ceiling light, model no. 214A
Estimate $6,000 - 8,000
Sold for $20,320
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
34
Lounge chair and ottoman
Estimate $4,000 - 6,000
Sold for $5,080
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
35
Paul Dupré-Lafon
Table lamp
Estimate $8,000 - 12,000
Sold for $7,620
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
36
Max Ingrand
Pair of wall or ceiling lights, model no. 10.004
Estimate $10,000 - 15,000
Sold for $21,590
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
37
Gio Ponti
Pair of "Luna" floor lamps, designed for Villa Arreaza, Caracas, Venezuela
Estimate $8,000 - 12,000
Sold for $16,510
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
38
Gio Ponti
Set of eight side chairs, model no. 676
Estimate $10,000 - 15,000
Sold for $30,480
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
39
Pietro Chiesa
Pair of ceiling lights
Estimate $12,000 - 18,000
Sold for $11,430
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
40
Ico Parisi
Rare "poltroncina da the’" armchair, variant of model no. 1947.3
Estimate $5,000 - 7,000
Sold for $6,350
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
41
Giovanni Ferrabini
Rare console table
Estimate $15,000 - 20,000
Sold for $16,510
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
42
Vladimir Kagan
"Freeform" sofa
Estimate $12,000 - 18,000
Sold for $24,130
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
43
Laurence Montano
"Massue" guéridon
Estimate $5,000 - 7,000
Sold for $6,985
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
44
Carlo Scarpa
Mirror, model no. 30
Estimate $12,000 - 18,000
Sold for $24,130
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
45
Gwyn Hanssen Pigott
"Still Life #11"
Estimate $3,000 - 5,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
46
Archimede Seguso
Piume vase
Estimate $15,000 - 20,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
47
Hans J. Wegner
Set of ten "The Chair" armchairs, model no. 503
Estimate $15,000 - 20,000
Sold for $19,050
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
48
Paavo Tynell
Floor lamp, model no. 10506
Estimate $15,000 - 20,000
Sold for $69,850
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
49
George Nakashima
Wall-mounted sideboard, model no. 249, from the "Origins" collection
Estimate $8,000 - 12,000
Sold for $16,510
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
50No Reserve
Betty Woodman
"Oval Pilaster Vase"
Estimate $4,000 - 6,000 •
Sold for $318
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
51
Betty Woodman
Untitled
Estimate $7,000 - 9,000
Sold for $9,525
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
52
Isamu Noguchi
"Face Dish"
Estimate $20,000 - 30,000
Sold for $35,560
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
53
Hans J. Wegner
Set of four "China" armchairs, model no. 4283
Estimate $10,000 - 15,000
Sold for $12,700
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
54
Toshiko Takaezu
"Closed Form"
Estimate $6,000 - 8,000
Sold for $19,685
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
55
Doyle Lane
Weed pot
Estimate $5,000 - 7,000
Sold for $30,480
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
56
Doyle Lane
Weed pot
Estimate $3,000 - 5,000
Sold for $13,970
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
57
Doyle Lane
Weed pot
Estimate $4,000 - 6,000
Sold for $12,700
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
58
Doyle Lane
Weed pot
Estimate $5,000 - 7,000
Sold for $13,970
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
59
George Nakashima
Daybed, from the "Origins" collection
Estimate $10,000 - 15,000
Sold for $20,320
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
60
Doyle Lane
Weed pot
Estimate $4,000 - 6,000
Sold for $27,940
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
61
Jennifer Lee
"Dark, metallic haloed ochre bands"
Estimate $25,000 - 35,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
62
Jennifer Lee
"Dark with haloed flashing spiral"
Estimate $30,000 - 50,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
63
Jennifer Lee
"Dark pot with flange"
Estimate $20,000 - 30,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
64
Elizabeth Fritsch
"Dark Windows” spout pot
Estimate $6,000 - 8,000
Sold for $12,700
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
65
Lucie Rie
Footed bowl
Estimate $15,000 - 20,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
66
Lucie Rie
Footed bowl
Estimate $15,000 - 20,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
67
Hans Coper
Pot on cylindrical foot
Estimate $8,000 - 12,000
Sold for $10,160
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
68
Hans Coper
"Sack and Disc" form
Estimate $60,000 - 90,000
Sold for $101,600
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
69
Hans Coper
"Spade" form
Estimate $20,000 - 30,000
Sold for $36,830
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
70
Hans Coper
Early narrow bottle
Estimate $30,000 - 50,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
71
Lucie Rie
Composite vase
Estimate $8,000 - 12,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
72
Lucie Rie
Cylindrical vase with flaring lip
Estimate $10,000 - 15,000
Sold for $12,700
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
73No Reserve
Wendy Maruyama
Unique "Chair's Chair"
Estimate $3,000 - 5,000 •
Sold for $1,143
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
74
Peter Voulkos
"Plate #3"
Estimate $4,000 - 6,000
Sold for $10,795
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
75
Peter Voulkos
Plate
Estimate $4,000 - 6,000
Sold for $12,065
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
76
Ron Nagle
"Post Modern Style #3"
Estimate $3,000 - 5,000
Sold for $8,255
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
77No Reserve
Tetsuya Yamada
Low table
Estimate $7,000 - 9,000 •
Sold for $5,715
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
78
Diego Romero (Cochiti Pueblo)
"Untitled Landscape" bowl
Estimate $3,000 - 5,000
Sold for $4,445
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
79
Ron Nagle
"Retro-Geo"
Estimate $7,000 - 9,000
Sold for $19,050
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
80
Ron Nagle and Ken Price
Rare "Nose" cup
Estimate $5,000 - 7,000
Sold for $22,860
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
81
Ron Nagle
Cup with handle
Estimate $5,000 - 7,000
Sold for $20,320
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
82
Martin Szekely
"G.V." side table
Estimate $6,000 - 8,000
Sold for $17,780
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
83
Fernando Campana and Humberto Campana
"Dolphins and Sharks” chair
Estimate $15,000 - 20,000
Sold for $20,320
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
84
Martin Szekely
"G.V." side table
Estimate $6,000 - 8,000
Sold for $18,415
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
85
Marc Newson
"Orgone Chop Top" coffee table
Estimate $100,000 - 150,000
Sold for $127,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
86
Ingo Maurer
"Porca Miseria!" ceiling light
Estimate $30,000 - 50,000
Sold for $88,900
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
87
Ron Arad
"Big Easy Volume 2" armchair
Estimate $20,000 - 30,000
Sold for $16,510
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
88
Mark Brazier-Jones
Set of six “Floret” wall lights
Estimate $10,000 - 15,000
Sold for $8,890
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
89
Ingrid Donat
"Banc Anneaux"
Estimate $50,000 - 70,000
Sold for $101,600
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
90
Mark Brazier-Jones
Set of four “Floret” wall lights
Estimate $6,000 - 8,000
Sold for $11,430
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
91
Ingo Maurer
"LED Bench"
Estimate $10,000 - 15,000
Sold for $20,320
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
92
Eva Hild
"Loop"
Estimate $25,000 - 35,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
93
Maarten Baas
Unique “French Farm Table”, from the "Smoke" series
Estimate $10,000 - 15,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
94
Hervé van der Straeten
"Console Piercing N° 358"
Estimate $20,000 - 30,000
Sold for $44,450
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.