First Published in
"The egg is the origin of life. It is perfect form; it is ideality," declared Ingo Maurer at the unveiling of his egg-shaped light for Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio della Spezia. The piece was inspired by the ostrich egg that dominates the scene in Renaissance master of light Piero della Francesca's Montefeltro Altarpiece. However, the large shell has broken: "Something that is beautiful can also be destroyed and remain perfect. And I thought of an egg that had cracked," explained Maurer. 100 kg of aluminium and 5 kg of eggshells provide the main ingredients of this fascinating design that conceals a light source without so much as a glimpse of an electrical cable.