Terracotta was perhaps the most subversive in Jean-Michel Frank’s repertoire of provocative materials. Also known as red earthenware, terracotta is traditionally associated with building materials such as bricks and tiles, and, if used in decoration, the clay body is covered with a colorful glaze, as is the case with faience. However Frank introduced terracotta into his interiors in its raw, unglazed state, which created a startling effect in his highly refined interiors. Terracotta is also related to Frank’s collaborations with Alberto Giacometti, who favored the material in his sculptures and decorative objects in this period, which evoke archaeological relics. The “X” lamp was also made in metal and in wood, but the present terracotta version, which is extraordinarily rare in this material, is arguably the most powerful.